30 by 30 (give or take a few weeks): Beef Wellington
27Tomorrow’s THE DAY. The big 3-0. The day that seemed forever away when I was busy hanging Blur posters in my bedroom, watching Matt Pinfield host 120 Minutes in my basement, and eating chicken fajitas at Chili’s all the damn time.
It’s here. (Almost.)
I still miss my Blur poster (with the dreamy Damon Albarn) and 120 Minutes is apparently coming back. The Chili’s dining? Ehh…not so much.
So, how did I fare on my list? Well, I made 27 of the things (although I’ve only blogged 26 so far). Obviously, I didn’t quite make it. But, I do plan on making those three final things (the Greek pastry kok, tres leches cake, and ceviche) very soon. Probably by the time I am 30.25 years old. 😉 I guess now I can say I’m in my “early” thirties, vs. being in my “late” twenties. That’s…something.
My 31×31 list consists of 1 thing: pounds. That would be 31 pounds to lose (many of which were a direct result of the 30×30 list, I’m certain).
Beef wellington is actually something I’d never eaten before, let alone made. I’m kind of a steak-is-good-as-is-and-does-not-need-accouterments kinda gal. That said, there is pretty much no way that something wrapped in puff pastry can’t be good – let alone when that thing includes mushrooms in addition to steak.
I decided to make this for Tom’s (also 30th) birthday. (We’ll be going out for mine.) I didn’t want to deal with an entire beef tenderloin roast, so I decided to make individual beef wellingtons with steaks.
I was worried about the filet overcooking by the time the puff pastry finished baking, and I was (sadly) right about that. I’m a medium-rare girl to the core, and this turned out more medium-well. Thankfully, the filet I bought were really, really good. They were, as Linda Richman would say, like buttah! So, despite them not being nice and pink, they were still super tender and delicious. In fact, we didn’t even need a knife to cut them. That said, if trying to make them more rare, I would roll the pastry a little thinner and buy thicker steaks. Also, keep a closer eye on it because I’m sure mine could have come out a few minutes earlier.
Tom declared this “the best Hot Pocket [he’s] ever eaten.” Sigh. Men.
Individual Beef Wellingtons
Adapted from Tyler Florence
6 oz. button mushrooms
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small sprig thyme (leaves only)
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus additional for searing steaks
1/2 sheet of puff pastry (1/4 of the box), thawed
2 filet mignon steaks, about 6 oz. each
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten
coarse sea salt, for topping
Preheat the oven to 425.
Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Add butter and olive oil to a sauté pan and set over medium heat. Add the mushroom mixture and sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness, or until it’s big enough to wrap around the two filet. Cut into 2 squares. Poke the puff pastry here and there with a fork.
Rub the filet with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high until very hot. Then, place the filets in the pan and cook for 1 minute, flip, and cook for another minute.
Spread 1 tsp. of the dijon onto a square of puff pastry. Top with 1/2 the mushroom mixture, and then with 1 seared steak. Brush the outer edge of the puff pastry with the egg and then fold the pastry over the filet (sort of like wrapping a gift). Seal and place seam-side down. Brush the top with the egg, and then sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat the process for the second filet.
Bake until pastry is golden and steak is done to your liking, 15-20 minutes.
Happy birthday love! I hope you have an awesome day filled with tons of good food and love and all that good stuff. And woot woot on coming SO CLOSE to finishing your 30×30. The good news is that since you DIDN’T finish, the party continues into year 31.
Ive never had a beef wellington but I had to laugh at Tom’s Hot Pocket comment…so something my brother would say. So glad you liked it even though it was a little overdone! Looks GOOD.
as a rare-side-of-medium-rare girl, I wholeheartedly agree with you… Was thinking, though, that thicker cuts of meat would cook more slowly, giving the pastry time to cook, while not overcooking the centre? It’s something to think about.. This looks divine, either way, and congrats on nearly finishing the list! Enjoy your birthday 🙂
I think rolling the pastry as thin as possible and also getting a thicker cut steak would definitely help. And to be honest, I probably could have taken it out a few minutes before I did but I admittedly wasn’t keeping a close enough eye. I’m going to add this to the post too – thanks 🙂
Is there anything that you think can be done in order to make the steak medium rare instead? This looks delicious and I want to try it!
I LOVE Damon Albarn.
Great looking dish.
Have a happy birthday tomorrow! Xronia polla!
Magda
Enjoy your b’day Elly and all the best for the big 3-0! Funnily enough I’ve been toying with the idea of making mini beef wellingtons…but it come across as a little too much work! Nonetheless, yours look spectacular! (your hubby’s comment is too funny!)
Nice work getting so much done off your list. I’ve never had beef wellington either, but yours does look tasty. Love the hot pocket comment!
My husband would have said the same thing, except he would have preferred the hot pocket.
Happy birthday to you!
Happy early birthday! Congrats on being so successful with your 30×30! I didn’t even attempt to do one, and I only have 4 months left till the big 3-0. Maybe I’ll do a 31 x 31 🙂 Beautiful job on the beef wellington!! And I love Linda Richman!
I’ve always wanted to make ind, Beef Wellys and this post will help. From here on it’s 30 forever…Happy Birthday Elly!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday, Elly. Have a great time 🙂
Happy Birthday Elly!!!! Have a wonderful day!
Your pastry looks amazing elly! And… I got sidetracked by your sides – is that feta on that asparagi? Likes! Happy birth to Tom and soon to you???
It’s goat cheese! It’s a take on this recipe, but I roasted it rather than grilling: http://www.pink-parsley.com/2011/04/grilled-asparagus-with-rosemary-and.html
Well I have never made Beef Wellington, and I am a little older than you Elly:D Happy Birthday bu the way and keep on cooking!!!!
I made this over the weekend and it was fabulous!
Glad you enjoyed it, Amanda!
Hahaha, that’s totally something my husband would say. Happy belated birthday! I’m slowly going through my 30 by 30 list. I was a bit ambitious making it 😉
Awww, sorry the beef wasn’t cooked perfectly, but it still looks really awesome. Beef wellington is my mom’s favorite so I’ll have to this recipe when she visits! And I hope you had an awesome bday celebration!
These look awesome! I like the idea of individual wellingtons. Happy (belated) 30th. (Again).
My husband has been begging me to make Beef Wellington and this seems like the perfect recipe to try for the first time. Normally it seems daunting but your clear, straightforward directions make it seem possible. Thanks for sharing! The husband will be happy I found your blog!
I know all wellingtons have mushroom in them, is there anything else I can sub for them.
I really hate mushrooms :o{ But this looks like a fantastic recipe and I want to cook it, can it be made without them, is there enough other filling?
I think the mushrooms really add a lot to the dish, but I don’t think there’s a good sub if you don’t like them. You won’t be missing anything as far as the amount of “filling” by omitting them, though.
I ended up making this last night for Valentine’s Day and it was so good! I used a thicker steak and it was cooked perfectly like you recommended. Thanks!
Glad they turned out well for you Niki!