Gordon Ramsay’s Beef Wellington

Ever since the first time that I watched Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay, I always was intrigued by the food he served. One of the dishes that intrigued me most was the beef Wellington. This beef tenderloin wrapped in mushrooms, ham and puff pastry was, to me, the very height of sophistication. In the video I made for my YouTube channel which accompanies this post, I challenged myself to actually make Chef Ramsay’s beef Wellington recipe which I found in his book Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking from Grand Central Life and Style.

I have to say that the process was NOT easy and gave me a new respect for the contestants on Hell’s Kitchen. The actual cooking part was just fine, but the prep work on this recipe was insane and well beyond anything that I normally attempt. I was pleasantly surprised though that the end result was well worth the work. Even though I didn’t do everything perfectly, I still turned out a delicious meal and would make it again (with a few little edits to myself).

One of the biggest suggestions I can make to anyone attempting this recipe is to make sure that everything is wrapped as tightly as possible. As you can see in the video, my ham-wrapped tenderloins started to fall apart when I removed them from the plastic to wrap in the pastry. Another contributor to this mess was that I felt that things weren’t cold enough. I feel that the recommended chill times for each step are not long enough, and I would probably chill for longer or with the same time in the freezer were I to make this again.

Another major things that I felt could have been done better was the mushroom duxelle. I did not chop the mushrooms fine enough, and I feel this added to some problems with the recipe as a whole. In the future I will use my food processor to get the finest chop on the mushrooms and cook them down to a true paste. This will, hopefully, prevent the soggy bottom situation that I ended up with in the finished product.

The last change I would make to how I did the recipe was that I feel that I didn’t boil down the wine enough for the sauce. “Until almost completely reduced” was an ambiguous instruction to me and so I don’t think I took the wine down as far as I should have. Next time I’ll try to get it down to a more syrupy stage before adding the beef stock.

All together this recipe was a frustrating but fun experience for me. I was happy to push myself to do something more complicated. This type of recipe will never truly be “my thing” which is why I’m a home cook and not a chef. I prefer simple food that packs a huge flavor punch, however, I think it’s important in life to challenge ourselves and try new things. Plus it never hurts to have a fancy, schmancy recipe in your back pocket if you ever need one for a special occasion.

Remember, you don’t have to be a professional chef to make magic in the kitchen!

Joe the Blue Wizard

P.S. You really should by Gordon’s book. It is chock-full of great recipes and many of them are far more simple, but still flipping fantastic. I highly recommend the apple crisp recipe. It’s a little unorthodox, but phenomenal in flavor and texture! Check it out here https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Ramsays-Home-Cooking-Everything/dp/1455525251

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Beef Wellington

Yield

4

Author

Gordon Ramsay

"You can dress up a beef Wellington with foie gras, porcini mushrooms, or even truffles, but in my opinion, that beautiful tenderloin should always be the star. The trick here is in wrapping the mushrooms and beef with Parma ham. That seals in the juices and keeps the pastry from getting soggy"-- Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking

Ingredients

• Two 14-ounce beef tenderloins
• Olive Oil
• 1 pound mixture of wild mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 thyme sprig, leaves only
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One 12-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 8 slices of Parma ham
• 2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 Tbsp water and a pinch of salt

For the Red Wine Sauce

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 7 ounces beef trimmings (ask the butcher to reserve these when trimming the tenderloin)
• 4 large shallots, peeled and sliced
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thyme sprig
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• One 750-ml bottle red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Wrap each piece of beef tightly in a triple layer of plastic wrap to set its shape, then chill overnight.
2. Remove the plastic wrap, then quickly sear the beef in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 30-60 seconds until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
3. Finely chop the mushrooms and saute in a hot pan with a little olive oil, the thyme leaves, and some salt and pepper.  When mushrooms begin to release their juices, continue to cook over high heat for about 10 minutes until all the excess moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste (known as duxelle).  Remove the duxelle from the pan and leave to cool.
4. Cut the pastry in half (if it doesn't already come in two pieces), place on a lightly floured surface, and roll each piece into a rectangle large enough to envelop one of the beef tenderloins.  Chill in the refrigerator.
5. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a work surface and place 4 slices of Parma ham in the middle, overlapping them slightly to create a square.  Spread half the duxelle evenly over the ham.
6. Season the beef tenderloins, then place them on top of the mushroom-covered ham.  Using the plastic wrap, roll the Parma ham over the beef, then roll and tie the plastic wrap to get a nice, evenly thick log.  Repeat this step with the other beef tenderloin, then chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Brush the pastry with the egg wash.  Remove the plastic wrap from the beef, then wrap the pastry around each ham-wrapped tenderloin.  Trim the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.  
8. Meanwhile, make the red wine sauce.  Heat the oil in a large pan, then cook the beef trimmings for a few minutes until browned on all sides.  Stir in the shallots with the peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown.
9. Pour in the vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes until almost dry.  Now add the wine and boil until almost completely reduced.  Add the stock and bring to a boil again.  Lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, removing any foam from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency.  Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth.  Check for seasoning and set aside
10. When you are ready to cook the beef Wellingtons, score the pastry lightly and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked.  Rest for 10 minutes before carving.  
11. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce.  Serve the beef Wellingtons sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment.

See me make this recipe on YouTube!