Beef Wellington with spinach &
bacon
This
comforting classic gets a makeover with a layer of spinach, pancetta and red
wine sauce
Ingredients
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2.25 lbs beef tenderloin, silver skin removed
Duxelles
filling
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3/8 cup butter
- 1 large sprig of fresh thyme
- 1/2 lb button mushroom, washed and patted dry
- 3 slices of bacon, sliced
Wrapping
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. water
- 500 g puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
Instructions
First, preheat
the oven to 400F if you use convection, or 425F with a standard oven (I use
convection for 99% of my recipes, so that's what my recipe method is based on)
Brush 1 tablespoon . olive oil on beef fillet and sprinkle with black pepper.
Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool
to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Note: My
meat thermometer read 80F when I removed the meat for the first time, and after
resting, it reached 100F internally.
Duxelles filling
Place the
mushrooms in a food processor and chop them until they are very fine, but not
mushy. You can try this by hand but you want really fine pieces, almost like
breadcrumbs.
Set a large
skillet over medium heat. To melt the butter. Let it boil for 1 minute then add
the mushrooms and thyme. Cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the white
wine and add the bacon. Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until
the mixture is set and most (if not all) of the liquid is gone. Let cool to room
temperature.
Packaging
Lightly dust
your work surface with flour. Roll out two sections of dough, one slightly
larger than the other. Place the smallest piece on a baking sheet lined with
parchment paper or a silicone mat. Spread half the mushroom mixture over the
puff pastry (only large enough for where the meat will rest!) Place the meat on
top. Spread the rest of the mixture over the meat.
Mix the
water and the egg yolks. Brush the meat and the puff pastry closest to the
meat. Carefully place the other sheet of dough on top and gently seal the edges
using your hands and molding the dough on the meat. Cut off the excess dough (I
left a garnish of about 1 inch.
Using a
fork, press the edges of the dough to hold them together. Use the rest of the
porridge to brush your dough. Return to the refrigerator until you are ready to
cook (the longer the better!)
Final
cooking step
Preheat the
oven to 350F convection, or 400F in a normal oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes,
or until golden and beautiful. This will result in a medium-rare Wellington.
Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes if you want medium or medium well. I removed
my roast when it reached 127F internally.
Let stand at
least 10 minutes before serving!
Happy
Cooking Time.
