Beef Wellington
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Beef Wellington

Gordon Ramsay's version of the classic steak dish - a show-stopping centrepiece on a special occasion

Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 1 hr - 2 hrs

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins.
  2. While the beef is cooling, chop 250g chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure you pulse-chop the mushrooms so they don't become a slurry.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
  4. Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film's edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
  5. Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry. Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.
  6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp - 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.
Try

Trim carefully

Lower the chances of the edges separating by giving yourself lots of room - and don't trim the pastry too close to the meat.

Gordon's tips

Brush the meat as well as the pastry with egg wash. This will make the top layer of pastry stick to the meat and stop it from rising and leaving a gap.

Use up leftover pastry

Any leftover pastry is fine to use for something else, even if covered in egg. Simply roll it into a ball and refrigerate until needed.

Sealing the pastry

Use the rounded end of a fork or spoon handle to seal the edges rather than the prongs of a fork - using the prongs will only pierce the pastry rather than joining it.

Keep it air-free

Drape over the top layer of pastry very carefully, smoothing it down with your hands as you go. You don't want any air trapped between the pastry and the meat.

763 kcalories, protein 50.0g, carbohydrate 32.0g, fat 48.0 g, saturated fat 20.0g, fibre 0.0g, salt 2.46 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2004.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 81-100

  • Binder photo tamsind

    29 September 2010

    tamsind commented on this recipe

    I made this for Xmas two years ago and it's still the best meal I have ever made! I'm doing it again this year x

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  • Binder photo Tracey

    15 October 2010

    Tracey rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this for my parents 45th wedding anniversary it went down a treat everybody loved it, it is very time consuming but definately worth it.

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  • Binder photo Heather Swan

    17 October 2010

    Heather Swan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love it

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  • Binder photo mrskonrad

    20 October 2010

    mrskonrad rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made as individual wellingtons as I love my beef rare and hubby is medium-well. Fabulous!! Has anyone done a sauce to go with this? Any suggestions???

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  • Binder photo Kerry

    01 November 2010

    Kerry commented on this recipe

    I made half the recipe for my fiancé and myself a few weeks ago and it was such a hit with him. The words "move over masterchef" was more than the response I expected. I was so proud I am making it again this weekend for a dinner party. I did not mess with the recipe at all.

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  • Binder photo Lynneka

    09 November 2010

    Lynneka rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    The BEST thing i have EVER made. DELICIOUS DELICIOUS DELICIOUS!!!

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  • Binder photo loopylou

    12 November 2010

    loopylou commented on this recipe

    Quite simply the best thing we have made- did this with my hub when my mum was visiting and it was really impressive- make it now !!!

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  • Binder photo BridgetMcG

    15 November 2010

    BridgetMcG rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Followed the recipe to the letter and it was amazing. My friends are still raving about how good it was monthas later!

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  • Binder photo Nicola

    24 November 2010

    Nicola rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    What a great dish, my husband and I cooked this for a dinner party and it did us proud, the beef was very rare though (good job we all liked it that way) I think our fillet was bigger than what the recipe stated, served it with mash, carrots and spinach there was no need for gravy as the meat was so tender.

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  • Binder photo MacLusky

    15 December 2010

    MacLusky rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Always turns out perfectly. Time consuming but not difficult. Everyone always comments on this as it is lovely.

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  • Binder photo Lingdada

    16 December 2010

    Lingdada rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I actually find beef rather tasteless compared to other meats,but this does look tasty!

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  • Binder photo Rachael

    25 December 2010

    Rachael commented on this recipe

    Ok made this for Christmas dinner today and it was great,very tasty.It was a bit too rare however so wuld cook it for a bit longer.

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  • Binder photo focusgm

    27 December 2010

    focusgm commented on this recipe

    Made this last night, was truly delicious, everyone was very impressed. I also used streaky bacon.

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  • Binder photo focusgm

    27 December 2010

    focusgm rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo mamamia21

    31 December 2010

    mamamia21 commented on this recipe

    What a great recipie, not difficult at all. Try it and impress your guests! I made this for Christmas and used a 2kg fillet so increased cooking time. My tip would be to line the baking tray with a double layer of foil, brushed with a little butter; this will help you lift the Wellington off the tray after cooking.

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  • Binder photo Janyliz

    01 January 2011

    Janyliz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Used a couple of rump steaks for a meal for two instead of beef fillet and created two mini wellingtons. Absolutley delicious. I used pancetta rather than proscuitto, lovely flavour but stringy fat because not browned. I cooked for 15 mins for medium but almost raw, turned and cooked for another 10mins which resulted in nice med/rare. Will try with beef fillet for dinner party next week.

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  • Binder photo cornz

    02 January 2011

    cornz commented on this recipe

    I made this for new years day dinner. I'm not a chef but i can rustle up a meal. This was the most challenging thing i have ever attempted to make. It turned out fantastic. The only thing i did was cook the beef a little longer at first. It came out pink in the middle but was juicy and tender. I was well chuffed with myself. I used parma ham and no mustard as my partner doesnt like it but even so, it was superb.

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  • Binder photo damama-1

    05 January 2011

    damama-1 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this for Christmas dinner and it went down a storm. It was hailed as the best Christmas dinner ever. Not too difficult to make but it was time consuming. Well worth the effort. I'd make it again but only on special occasions.

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  • Binder photo carinacarl

    06 January 2011

    carinacarl rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made for the first time on Christmas Eve, ready for Christmas Day. Was an absolute hit with everyone! I did cook for about 10 minutes extra in the early stages as I had a fillet on the large side but that made it come out perfect, still rare but the edges were medium-rare as my grandfather prefers it cooked slightly more. Does take time but worth the effort.

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  • Binder photo valliebeth

    11 January 2011

    valliebeth rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I'm an avid home-cook from small-town America. I couldn't find prosciutto in the local grocery stores, I'm sure I would have had to gone to a city to find it, but I did the bast I could. I too thin sliced deli ham and dried it on paper towels, leaving it there for a while to remove as much moisture as possible. This may not have been anything like prosciutto, I don't know, I was going by descriptions of it I's read online. Anyway, this turned out deliciously. My dad is a fussy eater; he'll eat nearly anything but rarely gives approval of it. With this he was complimenting right and left and asked for seconds.

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Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Serves 6

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 1 hr - 2 hrs

Freezable

Ingredients

  • a good beef fillet (preferably Aberdeen Angus) of around 1kg/2lb 4oz
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 250g/ 9oz chestnut mushroom , include some wild ones if you like
  • 50g/ 2oz butter
  • 1 large sprig fresh thyme
  • 100ml/ 3.5 fl oz dry white wine
  • 12 slices prosciutto
  • 500g/1lb 2oz pack puff pastry , thawed if frozen
  • a little flour , for dusting
  • 2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water
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763 kcalories, protein 50.0g, carbohydrate 32.0g, fat 48.0 g, saturated fat 20.0g, fibre 0.0g, salt 2.46 g

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