Home Eats Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington

Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington

by Komal
Beef Wellington
Over Christmas time I decided that I would try the epic, potentially disastrous, but infamous, Beef Wellington. I first fell in love with the idea of the Wellington after seeing Chef Gordan Ramasy tear into innocent amateur and professional chefs alike on his hit TV show ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ The balance of duxelle, puff-pastry, and perfectly cooked filet mignon intrigued the hell out of me! How did they keep messing it up?! What was the difficulty level? I had yet to find out. About 2 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ramsey at Thomas Keller’s renowned Napa eatery in Las Vegas; Bouchon. As my friends and I finished up a delicious brunch we couldn’t help but feel blistering eyes on us as we began to stack our half-eaten plates on top of each other to help settle the dust of a stomach that had clearly overeaten. As murmurs and whispers went around the restaurant, filling the air with the presence of a culinary icon, a voice masked with disdain and a slightly humorist British accent asked, “What are you doing?” As our cheeks began to take on a rose like color, we looked up to see that the voice we heard belonged to no other than Chef Ramsey. We began to explain to him our thought process: we are full, yet we have no self-discipline, in-turn causing us to stack our plates upon one another to prevent from picking at was left. As he sat in front of his bowl of porridge (that wasn’t on the menu, but made just for him) he gave us a blank, but friendly stare and said “I’ve never seen anybody do that before.” As we continued a discussion centering mainly on who we were, what we did, and how we liked Vegas, Ramsey’s demeanor was gracious and humble. That day we saw another side of Chef Ramsey and in that moment my interest levels began to peak, I stepped up my cooking game, and began to dive deeper into the world of gastronomy. So here it is, Gordon’s infamous Beef Wellington!
Print
438 calories
22 g
429 g
13 g
34 g
4 g
450 g
982 g
5 g
0 g
8 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
450g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 438
Calories from Fat 120
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g
21%
Saturated Fat 4g
21%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 429mg
143%
Sodium 982mg
41%
Total Carbohydrates 22g
7%
Dietary Fiber 5g
21%
Sugars 5g
Protein 34g
Vitamin A
12%
Vitamin C
5%
Calcium
9%
Iron
31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. 2 Beef Filet’s
  2. Olive Oil
  3. Mixture of wild mushrooms: I used oyster, shiitake, cremini and button
  4. Fresh Chestnuts
  5. A few thyme sprigs
  6. Puff Pastry
  7. Parma ham (or Prosciutto, whatever you prefer)
  8. 2 egg yolks beaten with a tbsp. of water and a hint of salt
  9. Dijon Mustard
  10. Salt & Pepper to taste
For the Sauce
  1. Olive Oil
  2. Beef fat trimmings (I asked the butcher at my local store)
  3. 3-4 shallots
  4. Handful of black peppercorns
  5. Bay leaf
  6. Thyme sprig
  7. Splash of red wine vinegar
  8. Bottle of Red Wine (dealers choice, I used a Cab)
  9. Carton of Beef Stock
Instructions
  1. Wrap each piece of beef tightly in a triple layer of cling film to set its shape and chill overnight (or for a minimum of 2 hours on day of preparation).
  2. Cook the chestnuts. Heat the oven to 400F. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each nut. Put in a roasting tin and bake until the skins open and the insides are tender, about 30 minutes.
  3. Remove the cling film and sear the beef fillets in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 30-60 seconds until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave to cool. Cover cooled filet with Dijon mustard.
  4. Finely chop the mushrooms and chestnuts (or blend in a food processor) and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil, the thyme leaves and some seasoning. When the mushrooms begin to release their juices, continue to cook over a high heat for about 10 minutes until all the excess moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste (known as a duxelle). Remove the duxelle from the pan and leave to cool.
  5. Cut the pastry in half, place on a lightly floured surface and roll each piece into a rectangle large enough to envelop one of the beef fillets. Chill in the refrigerator.
  6. Lay a large sheet of cling film on a work surface and place 4 slices of Parma ham in the middle, overlapping them slightly, to create a square. Spread half the duxelle evenly over the ham.
  7. Season the beef fillet and then place them on top of the mushroom-covered ham. Using the cling film, roll the Parma ham over the beef, then roll and tie the cling film to get a nice, evenly thick log. Repeat this step with the other beef fillet and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Remove the cling film from the beef, then wrap the pastry around each ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  9. Meanwhile, make the red wine sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan, then fry the beef trimmings for a few minutes until browned on all sides. Stir in the shallots with the peppercorns, bay and thyme and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown.
  10. Pour in the vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes until almost dry. Now add the wine and boil until almost completely reduced. Add the stock and bring to the boil again. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, removing any scum from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency. Strain the liquid. Check for seasoning and set aside.
  11. When you are ready to cook the beef wellingtons, score the pastry lightly and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. Rest for 10 minutes before
  12. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Serve the beef wellingtons sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment.
Notes
  1. There are versions of this classic that wrap the duxelle and ham in an herb crepe prior to being wrapped in the pastry…. I didn’t do this! If you tried I would love to know how you did it, and how it turned out!
  2. Overall I would say the difficulty level on this dish was very high to say the least! It has a lot of moving parts and assembling this creation can take a few tries. For my first time I think I did a pretty good job! Although the meat wasn’t as red as I would have liked, cooking is all about trial and error!
  3. If you are reading this you are most likely taking the steps to cook this dish, so Cheers to you! Good Luck!
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calories
438
fat
13g
protein
34g
carbs
22g
more
Sweet & Masālā https://www.sweetandmasala.com/

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