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Beef Wellington belongs on the table: a recipe to delight your family

3–5 minutes

Allen McCallie ‘26, Business and Ad Manager


Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for….and to enjoy many sweet and savory dishes. Dishes like turkey and mashed potatoes have long since dominated the table since the start of the holiday, But if you want to try something different this Thanksgiving season, use this delicious beef wellington recipe by Gordon Ramsay.

Beef Wellington (courtesy of Gordon Ramsey)

The beef Wellington is an english dish that is a tender cut of beet wrapped in mushrooms and puff pastry, and it is named after the first duke of Wellington after the victory of the Battle of Watterloo. Ramsey’s recipe has modernized the beef wellington, adding subtle differences, allowing the dish to inherit a savory and elegant taste, preventing sogginess. Aspects like the layer of parma ham, or Prosciutto, give the dish a deeper, salty flavor while blocking the excess moisture leaking from the beef and mushrooms. Here is how to make Gordon Ramsey’s Beef Wellington recipe.

Ingredients:

  • One pound center-cut beef tenderloin
  • Olive oil
  • English Mustard
  • 700 grams of Chestnut Mushrooms
  • One clove of garlic
  • Salt & pepper (Have shakers on standby) 
  • Five large roasted chestnuts
  • One thyme sprig (leaves only)
  • Eight Sheets of prosciutto 
  • 500 grams of puff pastry
  • Two beaten egg yolks

Cooking Tools:                             

  • Culinary Brush
  • Cling film
  • Whisk
  • Tongs

(Tools will be bolded in recipe)

Ingredient Tips:

  • Make sure to get dry Chestnuts in order to avoid excess moisture from water Chestnuts, so one does not soak the puff pastry while baking.
  • Check the prosciutto for tears or holes when buying cured meat.

Directions:

Sear and Coating:

  1. Take your Tenderloin and generously apply salt and pepper around the entire surface.
  2. Heat a pan on High and add olive oil, sear the tenderloin all around, and don’t forget to sear the sides by using tongs to flip vertically on both sides.
  3. Place the tenderloin onto a plate and use your Culinary Brush to lightly apply English mustard to the entire cut. Let it sit while you prepare your duxelle.

Duxelle:

  1. Remove the stems from the chestnut mushrooms and chop up a clove of garlic, then add to a blender.
  2. Add salt and pepper to the mix, then blend till all the ingredients are finely chopped.
  3. Crush five large chest mushrooms in the blender and blend till you get a paste-like consistency.
  4. Take the Duxelle paste and cook in a hot, dry pan till all the water evaporates out, mix every now and then to let all the water evaporate, and not so that the duxelle doesn’t burn.
  5. Add leaves from one sprig of Thyme into the Duxelle and mix in.
  6. When all the water has evaporated, take out the Duxelle and leave it to cool.

Prosciutto Wrap:

  1. Pull out enough cling film to wrap the tenderloin, duxelle, and prosciutto.
  2. Layer eight slices of prosciutto as shown in the image below. 

Youtube/ Gordon Ramsey

  1. Spread the Duxelle on the prosciutto layer with the back of a spoon, making sure to leave half an inch of prosciutto
  2. Place the Tenderloin in the middle, then match sides to the corresponding piece of prosciutto.
  3. Wrap the layers over each other,  roll over excess prosciutto when the ends meet, and cut two inches of cling film from the touching point of the prosciutto.
  4. Roll the ends of cling film to have the layer compacted together into a cylindrical shape, and let it sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Puff Pastry Wrap:

  1. Set out puff pastry on top of cling film.
  2. Carefully take out your wrapped sirloin from the fridge and delicately take off the cling film with either a knife or scissors. Place it in the middle of the puff pastry wrap.
  3. Wrap the puff pastry around the sirloin and cut off any excess pastry after the two ends meet.
  4. Wrap the entire Wellington in cling film very tightly to ensure a good shape for baking.
  5. Put in the fridge to sit for 5-10 minutes to harden.

Baking instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.
  2. Take Wellington out of the fridge, and again, carefully take it out of the wrap and set it on a plate.
  3. Beat two egg yolks with your whisk, and cover the wellington with your culinary brush in yolk.
  4. (OPTIONAL) Decorate the pastry with the back of a knife to get decorative designs on the finished product.
  5. Add a generous sprinkle of salt to the top of the Wellington or over your decorative design.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, depending on how rare you want the beef.

Prepare to serve:

  1. Take the Wellington out of the oven and let it sit for 10-20 minutes.
  2. Cut into at least one-inch slices and serve.

This is an amazing recipe to add something different to Thanksgiving feast this year, as Gordon Ramsey’s recipe is especially unique. If you decide to use this delicious Beef Wellington recipe it will be a hit on the dinner table.