Beef Wellington

Tempo

2.5 hr (incl. 1 hr fridge rest)

Picante

Dificuldade

Difícil

Rende

4porções

Ingredientes

Stuffing:

250 g

coarse breadcrumbs (fresh, not dried)

50 g

pine nuts or cashews (cashew is fine; pine costs more in BR)

50 g

mushrooms, finely chopped (Paris/Champignon de Paris)

small onion, finely chopped

Sage and thyme, a small handful, chopped

Wellington:

1 kg

filé mignon (beef fillet/tenderloin), centre-cut piece, trimmed

250 g

pancetta or smoked ham, very thinly sliced (peça de bacon defumado fatiado fino works)

3-2-1 puff pastry (massa folhada), about 500 g — enough to wrap the meat

Dijon mustard or horseradish, 2 tbsp

egg, beaten (for glaze)

Modo de preparo

01**Sweat aromatics.** Soften onion in a pan until translucent. Add chopped mushrooms; cook until they release moisture and it evaporates (5-7 min, no liquid in pan).
02**Toast crumb-nut.** Process bread + nuts together until coarse. Add to pan with onion-mushroom; cook until going golden. Season. Cool.
03**Sear the meat.** High heat, all sides, 1 minute each face. Rest. Paint all over with mustard.
04**Build the roll.** Lay out cling film. Arrange pancetta slices in a sheet (overlapping). Spread stuffing over pancetta. Place fillet at one edge. Roll tightly into a log, twisting cling film ends. **Refrigerate 30 min.**
05**Wrap pastry.** Roll out pastry on cling film big enough to wrap log. Unwrap log; place on pastry. Roll pastry around, sealing seam underneath. Trim excess. **Refrigerate another 30 min.**
06**Egg wash & bake.** Brush all over with beaten egg. Optional decoration: lattice scraps. Bake 180°C convection for **30-40 min** — internal temp 50-52°C for medium-rare (will rise to 55-57°C resting). Use a probe; the pastry colour misleads.
07**Rest 10 min** before slicing thick. Sharp serrated knife.

Beef Wellington

A Christmas / dinner-party showpiece. Beef fillet is seared, painted with mustard, wrapped with stuffing-coated pancetta, then in pastry. Two fridge rests are non-negotiable — they stop the pastry going soggy. Simon's own recipe, archived from his blog.

Heat: 0/5. No chile.

Tips

Centre-cut fillet only. The "tail" end is too thin and overcooks. Ask the butcher for the coração do filé, ~1.5 kg piece, then trim to 1 kg uniform log.
Dry the fillet aggressively before searing. Wet meat = no crust.
Mushrooms must be dry. Any moisture left in the duxelles = soggy pastry.
Bake on parchment, not directly on oven tray — easier transfer, no leak issues.
No-temperature method (if no probe): 180°C 35 min for 1 kg log = medium-rare. 40 min = medium.

Serving

Sliced thick (3 cm), with: roast potatoes, glazed carrots, red wine jus, watercress.
Wine: heavy red — Bordeaux, Malbec, Cabernet.

Notes

Make-ahead window. Build to step 5 (pastry-wrapped, fridge). Hold up to 4 hours. Bake from cold; add 5 min.
Why not freeze: raw assembled wellington can technically freeze 1 month, but pastry quality degrades and you're risking the centerpiece. Bake fresh.
Christmas adjustment: add chestnut purée to the duxelles (50 g) for a wintry flavour.
Leftovers reheat poorly (pastry goes leathery). If you have leftovers, slice cold for sandwiches.