Beef Wellingtonor Welly, as some chefs call itis intimidating.
It is, in a word, a real banger.
And its not that hard.
“The goals here are uniformity and dryness.
Dump these into a bowl and keep going until youve processed them all.
verify youre moving around the whole pan in a circle, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.
The cookbook recommends a 14 x 20 rectangle.
you’ve got the option to repurpose the parchment later in the recipe.
He contends it allows the beef flavor to shine.
While I concur, bresaola is hard to find, so you could always fall back on prosciutto.
check that they cut it as thin as possible.
The third hack:As you lay down the bresaola, it has a shape to it.
Make a second layer of flat, steamed spinach leaves on top of the bresaola.
Sounds simple, but cooking spinach is impossible to handle.
Youll have transferred the sheet of spinach, intact.
Now spoon the mushrooms onto the spinach closer to part of the sheet closest to you.
Spread it out as best you could.
Now put the wax paper back down and use the rolling pin, rolling away from you.
This will compress the duxelle, and also spread it out evenly.
Once seared, immediately paint with mustard.
An older sheet is great for this, because it may warp.
Use two pairs of tongs to hold the tenderloin up to sear each end.
Then let it cool while you complete the next steps.
The hack:Use the same method as sushi chefs use the cling wrap to your advantage.
At the end, you have the roll encased in the plastic.
Use it to wrap up the wellington for the fridge.
Dough time
The step:Make the puff pastry.
Roll out two sheets to create a lattice top.
Carefully lay it on top of the first sheet, using egg wash to adhere it.
The first hack:Just buy puff pastry; theres little honor in making it yourself.
The second hack:Treat the wellington like a pie crust.
Repeat with the shallots and garlic.
Continue moving mushrooms around until all moisture is gone and mushrooms have developed a deep brown color.
Add Madeira and reduce until the wine has evaporated.
Return shallot and garlic, thyme and rosemary, then spread entire mixture across paper towels to dry further.
Dry the beef using paper towels, and season w table salt.
Lay a sheet pan across two burners on stove and add 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat.
Sear on all sides, never more than 5 seconds on a side.
Allow to cool, and then use hands to massage in the mustard.
Once fully cool, remove any string used to truss the meat.
Measure the length and width of the tenderloin.
Place this paper on a cutting board or flat surface.
Cover with plastic wrap, leaving generous margins on all sides.
This will require overlapping layers.
Lay the parchment paper from under the plastic wrap over the spinach.
Using a rolling pin, flatten the layered base by rolling across the parchment.
Roll out two sheets of puff pastry, each on a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet.
Place the second in the fridge to rest.
Take out the wellington from the fridge and carefully unwrap.
Fold the ends under the roll, trying to flatten them out as much as possible.
Remove the parchment paper.
Make an egg wash with two of the eggs.
Paint the entire roll with egg wash being generous.
Now carefully begin pulling the lattice, starting from the middle out.
It will move easily on the egg wash, but be gentle.
Refrigerate the roll, uncovered for thirty minutes.
Insert a digital thermometer from one end, horizontally, into the middle, and bake for 30 minutes.
Turn around the pan in the oven and continue to cook until digital thermometer hits 110F and then remove.
The beef will continue to climb in temperature to a medium rare.
Immediately transfer to a wire rack to allow air to move under the wellington.
Slice horizontally, in one inch slices, and serve.
