Tell me about beef wellington

[wipeyourpawsplease]

Have a lovely fillet for 2, never made Wellington before. It's a birthday dinner. Should I use pancake or prosciutto? Pate or not? Porcini as well as other mushrooms? I can't settle on one recipe over another. Should I buy Marsala for the gravy?

It's really difficult to get right!

My oven can be patchy @inwood so that's not going to help us it!

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/08/how-to-cook-perfect-beef-wellington

I've never made beef Wellington but I rate this series of "perfect" recipes so I reckon it's worth a try!

Me too @StrawberryPi, Felicity has seen me right on a number of occasions!

This is good - have made it quite a bit and the gravy is good too - www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-wellington/

Bit confused about the reference to pancake. Is that a typo?

It's probably hard to get right "properly" but in a way I also think with those lovely ingredients how can you really go wrong?!

DH and I have a modified version which we loved - we just use two rib eyes or sirloins (one each - well browned first) then follow recipe with the onions, mushrooms, Parma ham and pate (yes definitely pate, chicken liver!) and the pastry

It's not correct in that obviously the steaks are miles thinner than fillet and so aren't really pink in the middle (just a little) but we don't care and we love it. We're normally rare steak eaters but it's worth it for all the other delicious bits

Yum 😋 your's with fillet steak will probably be even better

No @Gobbolinothewitchscat but I was surprised too! This is Jamie's other recipe with spinach pancake. I saw him make it on the Friday night show. Mary Berry was a guest that night and she commented how she'd forgotten all about using pancakes in beef well!

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-wellington-for-two/

I'd happily make it with any steak @ThisNameisaKeeper! Yours sounds delicious

I have made this once. I made the duxelles and used pate. I personally would omit the cured pork layer and the pancakes, which seem like overegging the pudding (and I would worry that the pancakes might get claggy).

Thanks @dellacucina. I am veering away from the pancake and prosciutto but liking the idea of chicken liver pate with the duxelle. The first Jamie recipe posted used chicken livers. Cheers!

Yes, I think what works really well is the contrast of the crispy pastry against the unctuous layer of mushrooms and pate, with the tender meat inside. I would worry about messing up that nice experience with other chewy layers

I hate savoury pancakes so I personally wouldn't do that one

Agree Della and Gobbo, the pancake might be very chewy. I'll save them for my lemons and sugar!

I have used Lorraine Pascal recipe. It's very good!! It's individual portion style

I don't get what the pancake is actually for, unless it's to stop the pastry from getting soggy.
The duxelles and pâté should protect the meat from overcooking. But i like the idea of wrapping it in parma ham, or perhaps wafer thin slices of pancetta..

No to the pancake, yes to the Parma or prosciutto for us! And duxelle and pate

I don't think I've ever had beef wellington. It's not something that would appeal to my husband at all, unfortunately, and given it's (a) expensive and (b) tricky I've therefore never tackled it. I don't recall seeing it on restaurant menus either - or have I just not noticed it? Is it something that could be scaled down to cook for one? If so, I'd possibly make it for myself some time when he's out or I could give him something else. It sounds really, really delicious.

(I can well imagine it can't be scaled down because you need a big hunk of meat inside the pastry to be sure it won't be like shoe leather all the way through by the time the pastry's cooked.)

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g see my post above re using rib eye - it's totally different really and probably a travesty to a chef but really delicious. You won't get the pinkness as with a much thicker fillet steak of course.

Still expensive if you are buying pastry, Parma ham and pate etc but if you are incorporating it into other recipes it may not be so bad

Ah, I see @grey12 has already said it is possible - looks like this recipe. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mini_beef_wellingtons_12665 I think I may have a go at this for a birthday dinner in a few weeks' time.

@Gasp0de I made single serving beef wellington! It worked great.

Not quite like leather but admittedly only a hint of pink inside. It does need to be well browned so fat rendered etc first

Thanks, @ThisNameisaKeeper, I hadn't picked up that your version made individual wellingtons too. I'll mull this over!

More encouragement - thanks, @dellacucina!

I did beef wellington for Christmas this year. I didn't use pancakes (this got bad reviews online). I used parma ham and a really rich duxelle with porcini mushrooms added. There are a few tips to make it easier. You need to put it into a very hot oven, chilled from the bridge. This means the beef won't overcook while the pastry browns.

Marsala would be delicious in the gravy. I also used some in the duxelle.

*fridge not bridge!