Whether you’re having family or friends over for Sunday dinner or a special anniversary meal, Beef Wellington is always the star of the show! My easy Beef Wellington recipe is ready in about an hour and a half. It’s perfect for holidays like Christmas and Easter, as well as weekend family dinners!.
Beef wellington is an elegant, impressive dish that is perfect for special occasions. However it does require some time and effort to prepare. The good news is that you can make beef wellington the night before and still have it turn out perfectly! With some advance preparation you can pull together this recipe so that the day-of cooking time is minimal.
Why Make Beef Wellington Ahead?
There are several great reasons to prepare your beef wellington in advance:
-
It allows more time for the flavors to meld and develop Refrigerating the duxelles-coated meat overnight helps everything come together beautifully
-
It makes the process more relaxed You aren’t racing against the clock on the day of your event trying to get everything assembled and cooked
-
It allows you to work ahead. If you have a busy schedule on the day of, this allows more flexibility.
-
You can ensure high quality results. With more time, you can be extra careful in each step of the preparation.
-
It takes the stress out of the process. Knowing everything is nearly finished removes the worry of something going wrong at the last minute.
Tips For Successfully Making Beef Wellington Ahead
Follow these tips for perfect beef wellington prepared in advance:
-
Select the best quality meat. Use a center-cut filet mignon or beef tenderloin. The better the cut of meat, the better your finished dish will turn out.
-
Sear the beef well. Make sure you get a nice sear on all sides of the tenderloin for full flavor. Let cool completely.
-
Make a flavorful duxelles. The mushroom mixture should be cooked down well to remove excess moisture. Let cool completely before using.
-
Wrap tightly. Make sure the prosciutto and duxelles completely enclose the beef in an airtight wrap. Use plastic to help tighten.
-
Chill thoroughly. The wrapped tenderloin needs to chill overnight, or at least 5-6 hours. Do not skip this crucial step.
-
Use chilled pastry. The puff pastry should be very cold when wrapping the beef Wellington for best results.
-
Preheat before baking. Let the assembled Wellington sit at room temp for 30-40 minutes before putting in the hot oven.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow these steps for perfect beef wellington you can make ahead of time:
The Night Before:
Cook the duxelles:
-
Finely chop 10 ounces of mushrooms into a duxelles mixture.
-
Cook the duxelles in 2 tbsp butter until all moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Let cool completely before using.
Sear the beef:
-
Pat the tenderloin completely dry. Season generously with salt and pepper.
-
In a hot skillet, sear the beef on all sides until nicely browned. Allow to cool.
Wrap the tenderloin:
-
Spread duxelles evenly over the beef.
-
Wrap prosciutto slices around tenderloin.
-
Tightly wrap beef in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The Day Of:
Prepare the puff pastry:
-
Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry dough in the refrigerator until very cold but still pliable.
-
Roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle large enough to encompass the beef.
Assemble the Wellington:
-
Unwrap the chilled beef tenderloin. Place on edge of pastry.
-
Brush pastry edges with egg wash or water.
-
Roll tenderloin up tightly in pastry, pressing to seal edges.
-
Chill for 30 minutes before baking.
Bake and finish:
-
Preheat oven to 425°F.
-
Brush assembled Wellington with egg wash and score decoratively.
-
Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef is cooked to your desired doneness.
-
Let rest 10 minutes before slicing thick rounds and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance can it be prepared?
You can wrap and refrigerate the filled tenderloin 1-2 days before baking. Any longer may compromise quality.
What’s the best way to store leftovers?
Leftover sliced beef wellington should be refrigerated promptly in an airtight container. Reheat slices gently in a low oven.
Can I freeze the assembled, uncooked dish?
Freezing is not recommended. The pastry may crack or become soggy. Best to bake it fresh.
What sides go well with beef wellington?
Classic pairings like roasted potatoes or risotto complement the dish nicely. A red wine sauce or glaze is also a great match.
What kind of beef works best?
A center-cut beef tenderloin filet is ideal. The tenderloin has the texture and flavor that stands up best to the duxelles and pastry.
Conclusion
With proper overnight chilling, flavorful duxelles, and puff pastry perfection, you can successfully prepare beef wellington ahead of time. The extra time and care will pay off with an elegant entree sure to impress. Taking some steps the night before means you’ll stay relaxed up until it’s time to bake and serve this culinary masterpiece.
How to Make Beef Wellington
Anybody can make Beef Wellington. Seriously. People are both scared and impressed by this dish, but it only requires simple cooking skills like sear and sautéing (which I will explain in case you are still feeling scared!)
- Trim, tie, and season. First, get the beef tenderloin ready by trimming off any extra fat and silverskin. Then, tie the meat together with butcher’s twine every inch. If you ask, your butcher can do this for you, which will save you a lot of time. Add a lot of salt and pepper to the beef all over. For every pound of meat, use about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Sear. Next, put the olive oil in a large skillet and heat it over high heat until it’s smoking hot. When the pan is hot, sear the tenderloin all over for about two minutes on each side until it is well browned. Don’t move the meat around in the pan until you’re ready to use tongs to turn it over. This way, all sides, even the ends, will get a nice sear. This helps seal in the juices.
3. Brush with mustard. Next, remove the seared tenderloin from the pan and cut off the twine. Brush it on all sides with the dijon mustard while the meat is still warm. Set aside.
- Pulse the ingredients in a food processor . First, put half of the mushrooms, shallots, thyme leaves, and garlic in a large food processor. Next, pulse the food processor about 10-15 times to make small, even pieces of mushrooms. Do this again with the rest of the garlic, shallots, mushrooms, and thyme.
2. Melt butter. Then, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in the same pan that you used to sear the tenderloin. 3. Cook the duxelles. Next, add the mushroom mixture to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 8-10 minutes. Continue to cook the mushroom mixture and 4-5 minutes to brown the mushrooms. Remove from the heat and let cool.
What is Beef Wellington?
You can almost hear Gordon Ramsay in the back of your mind when you’re putting one of his most well-known recipes, Beef Wellington, together. Of course, he didn’t invent the dish. According to his website, Beef Wellington was originally made in 1815 celebrating the Duke of Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo.
This 200-year-old recipe is actually fairly easy to put together. I can understand why Ramsay gets upset when it’s not made well by the television show contestants. This simple Beef Wellington recipe only takes 25 to 30 minutes to prepare. The following hours are used to either chill the beef in the fridge or roast it in the oven. Yes, I agree that 30 minutes of work for something that looks so fancy is not too much! I love recipes like this!
To celebrate special events or just for fun, we love medium-rare beef recipes! Our Garlic Herb Butter Beef Tenderloin Roast is a reader favorite! If you want something different, try our Garlic
There are 4 layers to Beef Wellington:
- The beef tenderloin that has been seasoned and seared just right to keep its juices;
- The duxelles, which are a mushroom paste made with butter, onions, and thyme;
- Another layer of prosciutto goes on top of the first two to keep everything together, add more flavor, and keep the moisture in.
- Finally, a golden, flaky layer of puff pastry is put on top of everything. Is that my favorite layer? It’s so hard to decide because they all taste so good! This dish really steals the show!
Beef Wellington is one of those dishes that you can make quickly and easily. It’s great for holidays like Christmas and Easter, Sunday lunch, or whenever you have people over. To save time, you can make most of it the night before. The next day, before dinner, you can wrap it in puff pastry and bake it. No matter what age, everyone loves this dish. Picky eaters don’t even know it has mushrooms in it.
Many years have passed since I last made this, and I’m now going to share the secrets I’ve learned to make it perfect every single time.
