Individual Beef Wellington Recipe - Crispy Puff Pastry and Flavorful Filling
Beef wellington is a classic dish known for its tender beef and buttery puff pastry. With this recipe, we take it to the next level by creating individual beef wellingtons, ensuring that you get the perfect balance of puff pastry and filling in every bite.
To start, we prepare a delectable mushroom mixture, known as a "duxelle." We finely chop a variety of mushrooms, including baby bellas and shiitakes, and sauté them with garlic, shallots, and thyme. The result is a rich and flavorful filling that pairs beautifully with the beef.
Once the duxelle is ready, we deglaze it with Worcestershire sauce to add that umami flavor. It's important to reduce the mixture until it's completely dry to prevent the puff pastry from becoming soggy.
For the beef, we use four eight-ounce fillets of two-inch thickness. Seasoned with kosher salt, the fillets are seared in avocado oil to create a golden crust. After resting to absorb any residual moisture, we top each fillet with a dollop of creamy Boursin cheese and a generous mound of the mushroom mixture.
Now, it's time to encase the beef and mushroom filling in a layer of puff pastry. Rolled out to a quarter-inch thickness, the puff pastry is cut into squares and chilled in the freezer. We then place a fillet on each square, fold the pastry over, and brush it with an egg wash for a golden, flaky finish. Optional heart-shaped cutouts can be added for an extra touch of cuteness.
The individual beef wellingtons are baked in a 400-degree oven until the puff pastry is beautifully golden and the beef is cooked to medium or medium-rare perfection. As they bake, a heavenly aroma fills your kitchen, building anticipation for the delicious meal to come.
To complement these exquisite individual beef wellingtons, we prepare a rich gravy. Made with butter, flour, garlic, thyme, and beef broth, the gravy adds another layer of flavor and moisture to the dish. It's the perfect finishing touch!
When serving, allow the beef wellingtons to rest on a wire rack for a few minutes. This helps to keep the bottom of the puff pastry nice and crispy. The result is a dish that is not only visually stunning but also incredibly satisfying. The combination of crispy puff pastry, tender beef, and flavorful filling is truly a culinary delight.
Whether you're celebrating a special occasion or simply want to elevate your dinner routine, these individual beef wellingtons are sure to impress. With more puff pastry and your own little package, they offer a delicious twist on the traditional beef wellington. Get ready to savor every buttery, crispy bite!
Ingredients:
- Mushrooms (variety of baby bellas and shiitakes)
- 3 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 8-ounce fillets (2 inches thick)
- Puff pastry
- Boursin cheese
- Fresh parsley
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup Madeira or Marsala wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- Kosher salt (to taste)
Cooking steps:
- Prepare the mushroom duxelle by finely chopping the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic.
- Sauté the mushrooms, shallots, and thyme in butter and avocado oil.
- Deglaze the mixture with Worcestershire sauce and reduce until dry.
- Season the fillets with kosher salt and sear them in avocado oil.
- Top each fillet with Boursin cheese and a mound of the mushroom duxelle.
- Encase the beef and mushroom filling in puff pastry squares, folding the pastry over.
- Brush the puff pastry with an egg wash and bake in a 400-degree oven.
- Prepare the gravy by melting butter, adding flour, garlic, thyme, and Madeira or Marsala wine.
- Gradually whisk in beef broth and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Let the beef wellingtons rest on a wire rack and serve with the gravy.
