Beef wellington is an impressive entree that will really wow your guests. A medium rare filet mignon and sauteed mushrooms are surrounded by a crisp and lightly browned puff pastry crust. Bon appetit!
I hate when things break. I am one of those people who likes to hold onto things until they no longer work. You might call me a pack rat, but I don’t know of any good reason to replace something unless it fails to work.
For example, I bought a Brooke Shields hair styling kit in 4th grade that lasted until just a few years ago. True story. The pink and purple hair dryer from that kit lasted me a good 20+ years. I was pretty devastated when the hair dryer finally broke and I had to buy a new one.
But one thing that has never worked for me is a kitchen thermometer. I own at least 3 or 4 expensive kitchen thermometers, including ones from fancy, well-known high-end stores. None of them has worked. Even the cheapo ones didn’t work.
Imagine my delight and surprise when ThermoWorks contacted me to try out their kitchen thermometers. Of course, I was a bit weary about their products since I have yet to own a kitchen thermometer that works. My in-laws were in town visiting one weekend when I decided to make them a beef wellington for dinner. This was the perfect time to put the thermometers to the test and see if they functioned.
The original beef wellington recipe asked me to bake the dish for 35-40 minutes. I knew my oven was running hot that day so I wouldn’t need to bake it as long. But because I couldn’t see the filet mignon (it was wrapped in puff pastry, remember), I didn’t have a way to measure the internal temperature. Enter the Thermapen. In 3 seconds flat, I had a temperature reading – 135 degrees F. Just for fun, I tried the ThermoPop in the other beef wellington to see how that one was doing. To my excitement, both beef wellingtons measured within 1-2 degrees of each other, which was normal since the filets weren’t exactly the same size. Since the wellingtons were within the correct internal temperatures for the recipe, that meant that I could turn off the oven and let them rest.
Thanks to my Thermapen and ThermoPop, my wellingtons came out perfectly. My in-laws and husband enjoyed their beef wellingtons and ate every bite. I’ve tried this dish at Gordon Ramsay’s in Las Vegas, and while it’s good, it cost upwards of $100. I made two wellingtons for about $30 total, and it fed 4 people.
I am so happy to finally own some kitchen thermometers that work – and work well! Best of all, they can measure food’s temperature in a matter of seconds, unlike many of the other expensive brands I’ve tried.
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| Thermapen – my first working kitchen thermometer! |
And now onto the giveaway! One lucky U.S.-based Eva Bakes reader will receive a Thermapen from ThermoWorks. Simply enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Please be patient, as sometimes the widget can be slow to load. Good luck!
Disclaimer: ThermoWorks provided me with complimentary samples of their products, but I was not compensated for this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% mine. This post contains affiliate links.
Beef wellington
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 6-8 ounce filet mignons, at least 1-inch thick
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup shallots finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley)
- 1 pound (1 package) frozen puff pastry thawed
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Thaw the puff pastry according to the package (if using frozen).
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pan (or other frying pan; do not use a non-stick skillet) over high heat. Season the filets with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear in the hot pan for 1-2 minutes on each side, making sure not to cook the steaks too much. Transfer to a plate and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do not clean the skillet.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter. Saute the shallots until they are soft. Then add the minced garlic and mushrooms until they are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Roll out one sheet of puff pastry using a rolling pin. Place one of the seasoned steaks in the middle of the pastry. Using a sharp paring knife, you will cut out a large "+" shape (so the steak is in the middle of the cross/plus-sign). You will end up with 4 squares of extra pastry that you can save for another day or use for something else.
- Add some of the mushroom mixture on top of the steak. Fold up the top, bottom and sides of the pastry and pinch to make sure there are no holes. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and refrigerate or freeze until ready to bake.
- Repeat with the other steak and sheet of puff pastry.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush each pastry with the egg. Bake in your preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the steak reaches 130 degrees F for a medium rare steak. (If your wellington is frozen, heat your oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 130 degrees F.)
- Allow the beef wellington to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting in half and serving.