Beef Wellington is not exactly a new invention, and it can be called both a kitschy and festive dish in every way. It’s a rather attractive dish that also packs a lot of flavor.
Beef Wellington is essentially just a beef tenderloin wrapped in pastry with mushrooms, but the path to the finished dish is paved with concerns and frayed nerves, as you have no chance to control the meat along the way: The tenderloin is wrapped in dough, and you must rely on timing and your own skills in the hope that the meat is neither overcooked nor underbaked.
What is the history behind Beef Wellington?
There are many good suggestions on how Beef Wellington actually came into being.
Most people agree that the dish is named after the First Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley. He became a national hero in England after defeating Napoleon.
Mr. Wellesley was also called the “Iron Duke” and was Britain’s Prime Minister on two occasions. He also had a rubber boot named after him.
Thus, it is a rather industrious gentleman with a significant historical background who (likely) gave his name to this dish – and it naturally requires that the flavor impressions are full-blown. Nothing less would do it justice.
Beef Wellington’s popularity
Beef Wellington is an extremely popular dish – and it is also considered particularly masculine.
Beef Wellington is actually Gordon Ramsay’s signature dish, and it was often served at the White House when Jackie and John F. Kennedy lived there.
With more than 1,000 Instagram posts under the hashtag, “showmeyourwelly“, the dish has its own life, which only underscores its popularity.
It is also a very popular choice when the guys get together for a men’s night, partly because it has a full-blown flavor, partly because it is a rustic dish that doesn’t necessarily require finesse or an eye for aesthetics.
Moreover, Beef Wellington is a real “show-off dish” as it requires that you have quite reasonable skills in the kitchen to make it perfectly.
What cut is best for Beef Wellington?
Beef tenderloin is typically used for Beef Wellington, but it’s not a must. Tenderloin is one of the most expensive cuts available, and it is often a very, very large piece of meat you need to buy.
If you want to save some coins or just try making a Beef Wellington with another cut of beef, you can try using half a roast beef instead. You can freeze the other half of the roast in its browned state and later use it in delicious stews, hash, or a flavorful wok.
Reinterpretations of Beef Wellington
A traditional Beef Wellington is based on beef tenderloin. The tenderloin is browned, then wrapped in a coarsely chopped or pureed mushroom mixture – a so-called duxelles – and puff pastry, either store-bought or made from scratch.
Then it is baked in the oven until the puff pastry is crispy and golden.
Beef Wellington can easily be served as a whole dish on its own. Madeira sauce is also a classic accompaniment, but you can successfully make any port wine sauce or red wine glaze.
You can choose to go in a completely different direction and serve your Beef Wellington with a creamy celery puree, Pommes Fondant, and/or a good, fresh salad.
Use it as a rule of thumb that a Beef Wellington can be advantageously served with an acidic element to balance the other, heavier components of the dish.
Aside from replacing the tenderloin with roast beef, you can be creative in a multitude of other ways. For example, you can try to make it in a budget version with the fantastic – but overlooked – beef cut, Teres Major.
If you are new to Beef Wellington, or just a bit nervous about the risk of the dish being under- or overcooked, sous vide is a smart way to have full control over the meat’s preparation.
We have previously made a sous vide Beef Wellington with great success, as well as another “sous vide version” with duck. We have also tried a version with turkey.
The latter was our attempt to make the ultimate everyday dish. Turkey tends to dry out easily, but this way, the turkey became both tender and very juicy.
If you don’t want to make your own puff pastry from scratch, you can easily use a pre-made roll of puff pastry and thus save both time and energy. We do it ourselves.
Our best recipes for Beef Wellington
Other versions of Beef Wellington
What do you drink with Beef Wellington?
We are not experts in the field ourselves, so we have received this recommendation from the Danish wine merchant VINNU:
“A wine that would pair well with this dish is a Vespa Rosso. This wine is ideal because it is more elegant than bursting with flavor.
The Vespa Rosso comes from the popular winery Bastianich. The wine is incredibly dense, with a structure and fullness that lingers in the mouth. The wine is a blend of grapes: 50% Merlot, 30% Refosco, 20% Schioppettino.
The Bastianich estate is known for quality and complexity and stretches back generations. Today, the family’s driving force is Joe Bastianich, who has been involved in the restaurant industry and wine production throughout his life. Joe is known from, among others, MasterChef USA.”