Beef Wellington - how to get it (especially the pastry) right?
I'm thinking about cooking Beef Wellington this upcoming weekend for six adults and three kids. I've made it, with ok-ish results, before, but the trick is always getting the pastry right. Not too dry, not too soggy. (It was a bit too soggy when I last made it).
Wikipedia suggests a crepe to help prevent this: what are some other techniques I can use? Should I make multiple smaller ones, should I twiddle with temperatures or let the pastry defrost more than I normally do - I'm open to suggestions.
Update:
- I am using store-bought puff pastry
- 4 sheets of pastry vs ~350 g of meat
- the meat has not been frozen and has reached room temperature before being wrapped
- Starting at 200C
- fairly small gas oven
Best Answer
I don't know your exact prep but the best thing you could do is bring your dough to a completely thawed state, store bought will work fine. Make sure you beef is at room temperature before doing a quick sear, this will not only add flavor but will give you a layer of protection. Another problem that can occur is the puff pastry releases some steam and it needs some way to escape. After you have wrapped your piece of meat, take a knife and make small slits in it with the tip of a sharp knife. This will help release the steam and should take away the moisture. 425 degrees would be a good temperature to cook at and you should hit your ideal around 40 to 45 minutes. Hope this helps and let me know how to it turns out.
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How do you stop the pastry on a Beef Wellington going soggy?
Tying the tenderloin improves both the appearance of the final dish, and leads to more even cooking. Phyllo provides a moisture barrier, preventing the puff pastry from getting soggy. A double layer of plastic wrap makes it easier to wrap up the tenderloin.Why does pastry fall off Beef Wellington?
Even the best Beef Wellington can be ruined by cutting it too thinly or too thickly. A thin slice will simply fall apart, whereas a thick slice will lose the delicate appearance and finesse of the dish. Gordon's tip is to slice the Wellington around an inch thick.How do you make the perfect Wellington?
The trick with Beef Wellington is having the outside layer, golden brown and the inside layer a rare cooked meat. The mushroom duxelles and prosciutto will help slow down the heat from burning the meat and still be able to keep the outside pastry layer cooking. Try not to trim the pasty too close to the meat.Can I use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry for Beef Wellington?
Lower the fat content of your wellington by using filo pastry instead of puff, eliminating butter, a non-stick frying pan to reduce the amount of oil needed, replacing the pate and using herbs and garlic to boost flavour without needing salt.More answers regarding beef Wellington - how to get it (especially the pastry) right?
Answer 2
The technique I use (with shop bought puff pastry) is to work it a little (about 2 minutes with warm hands will do), then return to the fridge for a couple of hours before using. This breaks down the butter layers and gives a less puffy and dry texture to it when it's cooked.
To avoid sogginess, as Sam suggests in the comments, wrapping the beef (coated already in the mushroom filling) in a crepe before covering in pastry can seal in the sogs nicely. I recommend using an ordinary crepe mix and adding finely chopped chives and a twist of black pepper. The trick is to aim to make a really airtight parcel.
If you are feeling really decadent you can wrap the coated beef first in parma ham, then the chive pancake...
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