How to Make Beef Wellington for the Holidays

Prep All the Ingredients

Puff Pastry

• Carefully remove the frozen puff pastry sheets from their wrappers.

  Be careful not to tear them.

  Roll each sheet to a thickness of about ¼ inch using a rolling pin. Then, using a 10-inch plate or pie pan, cut out a 10-inch round from each sheet using a sharp knife.
• (Use the extra puff pastry scraps to make the decorative leaves as shown in the photos. You don't need this, but it covers up the seams and makes them look fancier.)
• Stack the puff pastry rounds by layering them between sheets of waxed paper.Then, carefully wrap the puff pastry in plastic wrap and stick it back into the freezer.

  (This is the step my wife combines with the assembly process described below. If you decide to do that, don't defrost the sheets until you are ready for the assembly step.)

Mushrooms & Onions

• In a medium-sized bowl, add the mushrooms and toss with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Cover with plastic and stick in the refrigerator to marinate for a couple of hours.
• After 2 hours, remove the mushrooms from the refrigerator. The mushrooms most likely absorbed most of the oil. If not, remove them from the excess oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a frying pan or saute pan over medium heat, and when hot, add a little olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

  When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown and soften up. This should take no more than 8 to 10 minutes.
• When the mushrooms are done, transfer them to some stacked paper towels to absorb any extra oil. When cool enough to handle, cut them into small pieces and reserve.
• In the same pan, add the butter and melt it over medium heat.
• Add the thinly sliced onions and caramelize them by turning down the heat to medium-low and cook slowly until they are golden brown, soft, and smell heavenly. This can take 20 to 30 minutes so have some good music to play while cooking.
• Add Marsala wine and cook down until most of the wine has cooked off.
• When the onions are soft and sweet tasting, season with a bit of salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

  Transfer the onions to a colander sitting in a bowl so the onions can drain.
• When the onions are cooled down, transfer to a small bowl, cover them with plastic wrap, and put them into the refrigerator.

Spinach & Blue Cheese

• If you didn't buy pre-washed spinach, it's time for a bath. First, wash the spinach and remove the stems. Then, get a pot of ice water ready to give the spinach another bath after sauteing to stop the cooking process and maintain the spinach's color.
• Heat a large saute (fry) pan over medium heat. Most likely, your pan won't be big enough to cook all the spinach at once, so cook half of it in 1 ounce of butter and a little salt & pepper.
• Then saute the rest of the spinach with another 1 ounce of butter and a little more salt & pepper. If you use pre-washed spinach, sprinkle a little water on top after adding it to the pan.
• As soon as each batch wilts, transfer it to the cold water bath.

  After a few seconds, remove from the bath and transfer to a colander.

  Squeeze a handful of the cooked spinach to remove as much water as possible. Repeat with the rest of the spinach.
• Transfer to plates or a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until it's time to assemble the Wellingtons.

  My wife wraps the spinach in paper towels inside of the plastic wrap to get out as much moisture as possible.
• Cut the blue cheese into six 1-ounce portions. Transfer them to a plate or the cutting board with the spinach, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Prep the Steaks

• Season the steaks with salt & pepper.
• Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat, and add a little olive oil to the pan when hot.

  Coat the bottom of the pan with the oil, and when hot, add the steaks and sear until browned, about 2 minutes per side.

  If your pan is not large enough to accommodate all the steaks without crowding, sear the steaks in batches. You want to avoid steaming the meat, which can happen if they cook too close together.
• When nicely browned, transfer the meat to a plate, cool down, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble all the ingredients.

Assembling the Wellingtons

• Here's where you practice mise en place (everything in its place).

  Take the onions, mushrooms, spinach, blue cheese, and steaks out of the refrigerator. Do not assemble until all the ingredients are cold.
• You will divide all the ingredients into 6 portions, one for each Wellington. See my photo below.

  Try to squeeze any extra liquid that may still be left in the onions and spinach. Paper towels work well for this.
• Cover a large baking pan, one that can fit into your freezer, with parchment paper. We have a chest freezer in the garage so I know I can make enough room to place a large baking sheet.

Prepare the Puff Pastry

• You'll measure and cut the pastry rounds into shapes that accommodate all the ingredients. You'll need a paring knife, pastry brush, a ruler to measure your cuts, and egg wash made by whisking 2 of the eggs with a tiny amount of water.

  We have a small notebook that is exactly 4 inches by 3 inches, the exact size you'll need for scoring the pastry round. You can either measure using a ruler or make a template with a piece of paper or cardboard.

  Remove one of the round pastry rounds from the freezer. Spread some flour on your work counter so the pastry doesn't stick and place the round on top.
• Using a template or a ruler, score a 4x3 inch rectangle in the center of the pastry round. You don't want to cut through the dough; only score it.
• Extend the lines of the rectangle and remove all four corners, so all you are left with is a pastry cross.
• Save any pieces you cut out for making leaf decorations that will be attached to the Wellington if you didn't do it earlier.

Let's Start Assembling

• From one of the six piles of spinach, grab half of it and place it over the center of the pastry cross.
• Add 1 of the piles of chopped mushrooms.
• Next, grab a full portion of blue cheese and place it on top of the spinach.
• Now add one portion of onions, one of the tenderloin steaks, and then the rest of the spinach portion.

  The goal is to spread out all these ingredients as evenly as possible to make sealing easier.
  
• By now, the pastry dough should be pliable enough to work with, but if not, give it a few minutes to thaw enough to fold easily. Using your pastry brush, coat a little of the egg wash onto each of the four corners of the pastry cross.
  
• Carefully fold the left and right sides of the pastry dough onto the top of the spinach. You want the dough to overlap each other slightly.

  A little stretch here and there might be necessary.
• Do the same folding with the top and bottom panels but seal all of them together by pushing down on the top panel so it seals with the bottom panel. Then work the sides by pinching all four corners together until they create a nicely sealed unit.

  It's essential to get these seals right, or there is a chance some of the cooking liquids will lead out while they are cooking.
  
• Pick up the assembled Wellington and use your fingers to ensure all the joints are sealed and the pastry is nicely shaped.
• Place the Wellington seam side down onto the counter and shape it with your hand to get them as even as possible. This will help ensure even cooking.

  Brush all the sides with the egg wash.
• Using the extra dough from making the pastry crosses, cut out little dough leaf decorations that you can place on top of the Wellington and seal with some more egg wash.
  
• Transfer the Wellington to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in a freezer.
  

Five More To Go

• Now that you have the technique down, continue preparing the remaining 5 Wellingtons the same way you prepared this one. Again, it gets easier each time you make one.

  After completion, remember to add each to the baking sheet in the freezer.
• When all the Wellingtons are prepared, let them chill for a good hour and then remove from the freezer, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them back into the freezer until ready to use.

How to Cook the Beef Wellingtons

• Before you are ready to start cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F. There is no need to thaw the Wellingtons before cooking. They go right from the freezer to the oven.
• Using the remaining eggs and a little water, make an egg wash and give each Wellington another coat.
• Lightly grease a roasting pan or heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, spray olive oil, or a little butter. Transfer the Wellingtons to the pan and bake for 20 minutes.
• Lower the heat to 350°F and continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 110°F.

  This should take about 35 more minutes, depending on your oven's accuracy and the thickness of the steaks.
• Remove the Wellingtons and let them rest for 8 minutes, and serve immediately.

  Remember, the tenderloin will continue to cook while in the pastry so you don't want to let them rest too long or the meat will overcook.