Frequently asked questions

What is beef Wellington?

For a classic beef Wellington, beef is wrapped in mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and golden, buttery pastry. Recipes typically call for a large cut of beef sliced into individual portions. This recipe for petite beef Wellington yields four mini beef Wellingtons that are each meant to serve one person.

How do I make mini beef Wellington?

Brock starts with four small tenderloin steaks and adds a few more interior layers of flavor and function. First, he seasons and sears the steaks to develop a caramelized crust. Next comes duxelles, a traditional Wellington component made of minced mushrooms that are sautéed and deglazed with Madeira. A country ham layer adds a salty pork flavor and a protective barrier between the duxelles and the pastry. Finally, the steak, duxelles, and ham are bound up in plastic wrap and frozen to firm up and chill the bundle, ensuring the meat and outer cloaks of puff pastry finish baking at the same time. The final result is glorious — something Brock says expresses the regard you have for your dinner guests: “When I go to someone’s home and they go out of their way to make something complex, I view it as the ultimate gesture of love.”

How do I check the temperature on beef Wellington?

It’s imperative to check the meat temperature when cooking beef Wellington. Use a wireless or probe-style meat thermometer. The goal is rare to almost medium-rare. Remember that the pastry–encased meat will continue to rise in temperature even after it’s pulled from the oven.

How do I keep the pastry for beef Wellington from getting soggy?

Pat the steak dry and cook the duxelles correctly — until the liquid has fully evaporated and the duxelles are very dry— in order to reduce the amount of moisture inside the pastry.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For special cooking projects like this one, read through the cooking directions before you start to cook. Ideally, use a meat thermometer to monitor the filets during baking, and especially note the freezing and baking instructions in steps 2 and 6 for a medium-rare or rare meat temperature.

Brock likes the forest-y flavor imparted from using trumpet and maitake mushrooms for the duxelles but notes that any mushroom will work.

Our testers recommend using Dufour puff pastry here for the best overall flavor and results. The all butter pastry yields a delicious result with nice distinct layers and gets a nice golden brown on all sides.

You can use country ham or prosciutto in this recipe. In our tests, the country ham Wellingtons were a bit saltier and had a touch of smoke, while the prosciutto was a bit more subtle.

This recipe calls for homemade herb salt; if you prefer to start with store-bought, Brock recommends SuperSalt, available at side-gig.co.

Make ahead

Herbed salt and duxelles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

Suggested pairing

Our wine editor recommends a structured, elegant Bordeaux, such as Chateau Fonplegade, to go with these mini beef Wellingtons.

Ingredients

Herbed Salt

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic

Beef Wellington

1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms (such as hen-of-the-woods, black trumpet, and/or chanterelle)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (2 ounces)
14 (3-inch) thyme sprigs, tied in a bundle, plus fresh thyme leaves for decorating
2 large shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup (2 ounces) Madeira
2 teaspoons herbed salt, divided
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin filets (about 1 1/2 inches thick)
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 (about 1/2-ounce) thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto slices
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 (14-ounce) packages frozen all-butter puff pastry (such as Dufour), thawed
All-purpose flour, for work surface
1 large egg, beaten

Directions

Make the herbed salt

Combine coarse sea salt, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, rubbed sage, and granulated garlic in a bowl. Rub using your fingers to incorporate. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the mini beef Wellingtons

Make the mushroom duxelles

Working in batches, pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 8 pulses. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add chopped mushrooms and thyme sprigs; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown and stick to skillet, about 20 minutes. Add shallots and garlic; cook, stirring often, until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add Madeira; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to stick to bottom of skillet, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon herbed salt. Spread duxelles on a baking sheet; let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs.
Sear the filets

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Sprinkle beef with remaining 1 teaspoon herbed salt. Heat oil in a large skillet over high. Cook filets until just browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate; refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to use.
Layer the ham and duxelles

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Place a 12- x 16-inch sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface. Overlap 2 country ham slices to form a cross shape on center of plastic wrap; spread 1/2 cup duxelles evenly over ham. Pat 1 filet dry; brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and place in center of cross. Fold ham slices with duxelles over filets, making sure to fully encase beef.
Shape the bundles

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Gather and twist plastic wrap to seal into a tight bundle. Repeat with remaining ham, duxelles, filets, and mustard. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, freeze for 3 hours or up to overnight; see step 8.)
Prepare the puff pastry and cut the lattice

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Meanwhile, roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 2 (8-inch) circles. Repeat process with 1 more pastry sheet. (Reserve dough scraps for another use.) Place circles between parchment paper on a baking sheet, and set aside. Roll remaining pastry sheet into a 16-inch square, and cut out 4 (7-inch) circles. Using a square or round cutter, punch out 3/4-inch squares from the 7-inch circles to create a lattice. Discard scraps or reserve for another use. Add lattices to baking sheet; refrigerate until ready to use.
Wrap the meat in pastry

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Preheat oven to 425°F. Unwrap 1 filet bundle; center bundle on 1 (8-inch) pastry circle. Lightly brush beaten egg in a 1-inch border around dough edge. Fold dough up and over to encase filet bundle; pinch dough to seal, and trim off any excess dough. Place pastry bundle, seam side down, on parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining filet bundles and remaining 8-inch pastry circles. Brush pastry bundles lightly with beaten egg.
Decorate the Wellingtons with the pastry lattice

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Stretch 1 lattice over each pastry bundle. Tuck lattice edges under; trim excess lattice, if needed. Brush lattice lightly with beaten egg; place thyme leaves in each lattice opening. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold, 10 minutes.
Bake the Wellingtons

Insert probe of an oven-safe meat thermometer in thickest portion of 1 bundle. (Alternatively, use an instant-read meat thermometer to check temperature during last few minutes of bake time.) Place baking sheet with all 4 bundles in preheated oven; immediately reduce temperature to 400°F. Bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through bake time, until pastry is golden brown and thermometer registers 115°F, 30 to 32 minutes. Let rest on a wire rack 10 minutes before serving. (Beef temperature will rise to 130°F for medium-rare. For rare, freeze bundles in step 2 for 3 hours or up to overnight; bake until thermometer registers 85°F, 35 to 40 minutes. Temperature will rise to 115°F while resting.)