By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus chilling
- Rating
- 4(2,737)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In this British classic, tender beef fillet is blanketed with browned mushrooms and shallots, then wrapped in layers of prosciutto and buttery puff pastry before being baked until golden and flaky on the outside, juicy and rare within. Worthy of the most elegant, blow-out meal, save this one for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or your next big birthday. One thing to note: You really do need a full pound of puff pastry here to cover all the meat, so if your package weighs less (some brands weigh 12 ounces), you’ll need to supplement with another package.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 3pounds center-cut beef tenderloin
- 2ounces pancetta or bacon, finely chopped (¼ cup)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12ounces mushrooms, preferably a mix of different kinds, such as cremini, white, shiitake, chanterelles or oyster, very finely chopped (4 cups)
- 1shallot, diced
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1tablespoon dry sherry or dry vermouth
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 10 to 12thin slices prosciutto
- 1large egg
- 16ounces puff pastry, thawed (see Tip)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
684 calories; 49 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 34 grams protein; 579 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
Using kitchen twine, tie the tenderloin into a 12-inch log, folding the thinner end onto itself. (Use your hands to squeeze the meat into a log. You can be aggressive here.)
Step
2
Place pancetta in a cold 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until pancetta starts to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Step
3
Add butter, raise heat to high, and stir in mushrooms and shallot. Cook until the liquid released by the mushrooms has cooked off, 4 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until mushrooms are browned, stirring frequently, another 18 to 23 minutes. (Take your time here, you want a deep golden color for the best flavor.) Scrape bottom of the skillet as necessary to prevent burning.
Step
4
If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a little olive oil, then stir in garlic and thyme leaves. Cook until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Scrape mixture into a medium bowl to cool. (Do not add salt at this point.)
Step
5
In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Season beef generously with salt and pepper, then sear on all sides until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and cool slightly. Remove any twine. Brush meat all over with mustard.
Step
6
On a clean work surface, overlap long sheets of plastic wrap (about 15-by-15 inches). Place prosciutto slices on top to make about a 14-by-7-inch rectangle, arranging them in an even layer and overlapping the pieces slightly. Spread cooled mushroom mixture on top.
Step
7
Place beef along one long end of the prosciutto slices, and roll prosciutto tightly around beef. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, twisting both ends like a candy wrapper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Step
8
Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon water. Lay puff pastry out on the prepared baking sheet, lightly draping over edges. (The pastry needs to be at least 14-inches long and 13-inches wide to cover the beef; if not, roll it out as needed.)
Step
9
Carefully unwrap and place chilled log along the edge of one long side of puff pastry. Roll beef up tightly, then place it seam-side down on the baking sheet. Tuck puff pastry over the ends of the beef to cover them, pinching to seal and folding underneath. Brush top and sides of pastry with egg wash, and use a small sharp knife to cut a few slits into the top of the pastry.
Step
10
Bake until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 115 degrees for rare, 25 to 35 minutes. (This timing will yield rare pieces at the thicker end and medium done pieces at the thinner end of the loin.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve while warm.
Tip
- You really do need a full pound of puff pastry here to cover all the meat, so if your package weighs less (some brands weigh 12 ounces), you’ll need to supplement with another package.
Ratings
4
out of 5
2,737
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Cooking Notes
Karen Webber
Just made this tonight with rave reviews. I split the recipe in half because it’s just the two of us. I tend to always use whole grain Dijon in place of regular. To make again, I would use regular Dijon, and splash some red wine in the mushroom/bacon mixture. I mistakenly thought beef Wellington would be difficult but this was recipe was so straightforward and delicious. Will definitely make again - for a big crowd or small.
Cassie
Made this exactly as written with 2 hours of chilling and a 25 minute bake and it came out perfectly rare. If you think beef wellington is too hard to attempt I promise this recipe will make you a believer! The most painful part is paying for the beef tenderloin and once that’s over with you’re in the clear.
Karen Webber
To halve the recipe, time was the same. Came out perfectly rare.
Roni Jordan
I've made individual beef Wellingtons several times - never the whole tenderloin - and always feel comfortable that each will come out perfectly medium rare after 20 minutes at 425. The addition of prosciutto to this recipe is something I'll consider next time. Use TJ's all-butter French puff pastry if you can find it before it runs out (it's a seasonal item). 17 ounces for a fraction of the price of Dufour.
KellyDorafshar
I made this again last night. I'm a sauce fan so after I browned the meat, I used the same pan and threw in a minced large shallot till browned poured in a couple of glugs of red wine and reduced that a bit. I added about 8 sliced mushrooms and a knob of butter and reduced that down. I added about a teaspoon beef base from Penzeys spices (Really the BEST!) and a cup of water. A little salt and good amount of pepper and another 15 min on the stove and it was so good. Great addition!
Roni Jordan
Anyone planning to make this or individual Wellingtons should find TJs all-butter puff pastry from France. It’s a full 18.3 ounces; two rolled up sheets wrapped in parchment and sealed in cellophane. Defrosts in fridge in hours and no pesky seams from the folds of other brands. A fraction of the cost of Dufours.
Kathleen MacAllister
I made this from Julia Child’s recipe in the late 1960s. It called for mushrooms, shallots, butter, dry Sercial Madeira, salt, pepper and mousse de foie or foie gras. After carefully cutting out puffed pastry autumn leaves placing them artfully on the top I slid it into the oven. Only it had other ideas and slid on to the floor. Being in my early 20s, I picked it all up, patted the pastry back on (mingled unattractivly with the mushroom concoction) and put it into the oven. Delicious!
Jen
Garrett and Dan liked. More mushroom on edge per Garrett. Get prosciutto with paper in between. Hardest part of preparing.
Valoree Vargo
Just made this for Christmas. It was a hit. Couple of changes. First, I tripled the amount of mushrooms. 12 oz, is not nearly enough. I roasted them in the oven for 15 minutes to dry them out, then processed them. In a skillet for 45 minutes with 2 tbsp. butter. Perfect. Skipped the garlic, I am allergic. Egg wash, in the oven 30 minutes. Excellent color and taste. I made one for my niece, who is a vegetarian, with just the mushrooms and par cooked asparagus, she loved it. Excellent!
Betsy
AMAZING! So much easier that I ever dreamt it would be! Since we're by ourselves this Christmas (thanks COVID!), I made it as two single portions with two gorgeous, thick tenderloin steaks cut by the butcher. I just reduced the amounts of mushrooms/pancetta and wrapped each steak with puff pastry dough. Surprisingly, the timing was still good at 25 minutes - probably because the steaks were well over an inch thick (each one weighed a bit over 1/2 pound!).
Eric M
I made it as written and it was amazing, and not difficult at all. I chilled the beef/mushroom log overnight so had a very small amount of prep Christmas Day. It took longer than indicated to cook, around 40 min, maybe because of the long chill or because I checked it every few minutes starting at 25, hyper paranoid I’d overcook a $100 cut of beef. Will started saving for the next one!
gina
wonderful recipe! Made it for Christmas dinner and it was perfect. Making it up to step 7 the night before made for a relaxed Christmas dinner and evening.
Tammi
Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham, yes, but in America, where the New York Times is located, it means specifically what you are referring to as Parma ham. But I'm pretty sure you already knew that.
Samantha
Did a test run of this recipe on four guinea pigs (friends) last night. All reviews were entirely positive, and I pushed for critique. It's surprisingly easy, but makes a big impression. And even though the ingredients are pretty expensive, you get an exceptional return on investment.Served it with beet and fennel salad, mashed Yukons, and sauteed beet greens. A very attractive plate with complementary flavors that offset the cost of the main dish. From grocery store to table took 3 hours.
Jo
First try & a hit! Doubled doxelle. Cooked until very dry to avoid soggy puff pastry. Meat@room temp. to sear. Doxelle & meat cooled, rolled tightly with prosciutto. Refrigerate. Rolled tightly in Puff pastry (butter not margarin.Pastry shop). In fridge for a day. Taken out for min. 1 hour to bring to room temp. Egg wash. Preheated oven with pan in it. Put Welly on parchment paper, on hot pan & on bottom rack. Took out at 125 meat thermometer reading (~45 min.) & rested 20 min.Pink & perfect!
Laure
I've made this recipe twice with wild success. I omit the pancetta because I don't think it's necessary, and I've been able to use one 14-oz package of puff pastry to cover my entire piece of beef (just need to roll it out a bit on a floured surface). Looking forward to many more Wellingtons in the future!
nasutch
Good recipe for cooking the beef, temp and time worked just right. I’ve made individual wellingtons following the Silver Palate recipe, with no pancetta or prosciutto in the past and prefer it that way. I found it too salty with the prosciutto.
KC YUM
I've made this a few times now for Christmas and other special occasions and it's always amazing. One thing, my pastry never gets quite as golden toasty colored as the photo when the meat is at temperature. Always tastes perfect, but wish I could get the right color. Also a note, this year I made a second Wellington sans duxelles for a non-mushroom eater at the table and it worked great. No substitutions, just skipped the entire layer.
Hannah
Used an elk tenderloin instead of beef and it came out perfectly
Erin
Made this for Christmas and it was spectacular!! Prepped first half on Eve and chilled it overnight. Finished on Christmas Day.Used 1-1/2 boxes of Dufour puff pastry. And needed a third pack of prosciutto (which comes 6 slices to a pack).Learned that the meat thermometer won’t register when putting it in as the bake starts. And that 28 mins yields absolute perfection! Meat is rare/medium rare and cuts like buttah.All the ingredients play an essential role and work together in harmony!
Nancy Y
I trust all Clark's recipes. But we had one "hiccup" with this one. It would have been helpful for a step in the recipe to say how thin the puff pastry should be rolled out to before wrapping the tenderloin. My sons (who are good cooks) prepped the wellington, but didn't know to roll out the pastry. As a result, the beef, fillings and outer crust were great but we ended up with about a 1/4inch raw dough on the inside. We "deconstructed" the wellington before eating and agreed we'd try again!!
Megan McDonald
A showstopper—my guests raved! I found it a bit labor intensive to prepare, but the step-by-step instructions were excellent and reassuring. I especially appreciated that the ends were a bit more well-done than the rare center, allowing me to serve guests happily along the doneness spectrum. And it was truly delicious, savory and succulent. I did use the Trader Joe's puff pastry, and it fit the tenderloin beautifully and browned nicely under the egg wash. A perfect holiday feast main.
SM
Love this recipe and have made it several times now. This year I made it without pork — skipped the pancetta completely, and tried alternating bresaola and sliced turkey instead of the prosciutto. Results were terrific — and the turkey, despite not being as dry or cured as the bresaola, performed just as well! I also put the shallots and mushrooms in the food processor rather than chopping, which I think helped the water release faster.
Jenny
Delicious! Forgot the mustard (eye roll), so mixed some mustard and mayo together to make a quick spread to pass at the table. It did take longer to get to 115*, closer to 50 minutes total, but that could be because I chilled the meat/prosciutto wrap for about 5 hours before baking. I think if I let it sit out to take the chill off, the puff pastry wouldn't puff, so I just need to allot more time for baking next time if I chill it long like that again. And there will be an again!
Julie C
Delicious and so impressive. I processed the duxelles in a food processor instead of hand-chopping, which I felt kept it together better while chilling. The other thing was I had to cook it much longer than 30 minutes to get the pastry a little brown--it never got as brown as the photo but it was still crisp and flaky and cooked through, although the meat was a little less rare. Not sure how to manage that, but it was a huge hit at Christmas and I would definitely make it again.
Vern
I made this recipe EXACTLY as above and the roast came out nearly raw after 35 minutes in the oven. I ended up having to slice it and microwave the meat and then add the mushroom/pastry mix on top. I fail to understand why 115 degrees is recommended as a meat temperature. All health organizations say that beef needs to be cooked to 145 degrees to be safe. The flavor was good, but it was such a disappointment on Christmas Day to serve this bloody mess.
Tried It For First Time
Not sure if I did it correctly...Seemed very salty to me. Like the prosciutto added a layer of salt I did not care for.My guests say they enjoyed it, but I may skip the prosciutto next time
Judy
I made this for Christmas dinner this afternoon and it was fantastic! I followed the recipe to the T, using dry vermouth instead of the sherry to deglaze. As the previous reviewer said, this recipe is NOT difficult. I’m definitely going to make this again for some future holiday or celebration.
Rob T
My annual tradition - never strayed from this recipe - perfect every time!
Phyllis
I used two puff pastry packages for half an order
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