Mini Beef Wellington
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Beef Wellington is an impressive and luxurious entrée perfect for special occasions like holidays. Rather than committing to making a large roast fit for a dinner party sliced into servings, make this more manageable, individually portioned version using filet mignon. Plus, I like the ratio of buttery puff pastry to meat in this mini version! While it seems like a lot of time is allotted for chilling the meat it ensures it doesn’t overcook as the puff pastry bakes so I don’t recommend skipping that part. Craving more dishes like this? My seared duck breast with blueberry pan sauce recipe is right up your alley
What is Beef Wellington?
The British dish is traditionally made with beef tenderloin wrapped in duxelles, a mixture of sautéed, finely chopped mushrooms and onions or shallots (and sometimes foie gras) encased in prosciutto and puff pastry baked to a golden brown.
Why You’ll Love Individual Beef Wellington
- Scalability. It makes it much easier to scale up for more guests or scale down for a more intimate gathering.
- Ease. Smaller portion sizes mean less room for error in cooking making this recipe more approachable. Also, I find it harder to get the meat cooked to the perfect temperature with larger tenderloin portions since the ends will always be cooked more.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Steak – Traditional Beef Wellington uses beef tenderloin while this mini, individually portioned version uses filet mignon, which are just pre-portioned versions of the same cut of beef. This lean cut is famed and perfect for this recipe because it’s so tender. It comes from an area near the spine of the cow on the end of the tenderloin. Because it’s a lean cut it is perfectly balanced with seasoning and the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Mushrooms – I use baby bella or cremini mushrooms for the mushroom duxelle mixture. Also, the brown mushrooms are the more mature version of white button mushrooms with a more developed flavor. The mushrooms are finely diced and sautéed in butter with shallots. For a shortcut to chopping the mushrooms, add them to a food processor.
- Vermouth – Vermouth is used to impart additional flavor to the mushroom duxelle. It’s simmered until the mixture is completely dry so only the flavor remains.
- Dijon – Since I don’t use other rich ingredients like foie gras or pate, the Dijon helps to amp up the flavor of the beef.
- Prosciutto – This salty, silky meat is made from curing the whole hind leg of a pig. Prosciutto is a whole muscle salumi served sliced paper-thin. Also, it’s used to wrap around the duxelle mixture and beef to hold the ingredients in place and to keep the mushrooms from soaking into the puff pastry.
- Puff pastry – Puff pastry can be made at home, though I prefer to use store-bought puff pastry sheets instead to cut down on prep time. It can be found in the freezer section of grocery stores, typically by pies and other desserts. Since it is frozen it is best to move the puff pastry package to the fridge to let it slowly thaw a day in advance.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Quickly Thaw Puff Pastry
For a quicker thaw of frozen puff pastry, I recommend letting the puff pastry sit at room temperature for 1 hour. But if the dough is left out too long it can become too soft and the dough can easily tear.
How to Prepare This Recipe in Advance
The steak can be prepped with the mushroom duxelles and prosciutto and wrapped in plastic wrap, then refrigerated overnight or up to a day in advance, then baked in the puff pastry before serving.
How to Make Mini Beef Wellington (Step-by-step)
Pat the filet mignon dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the filets and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes total
Remove to a plate and set aside. Brush or spread the Dijon mustard over the filets and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
Return the pan to medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the shallots, mushrooms and thyme, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms reduce in size and are no longer watery, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the vermouth and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are dry. Then, remove from heat and discard the thyme. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.
Stretch out 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a workspace. Lay out 2 slices of prosciutto on each so they are just overlapping. Also, spread the mushroom mixture over each. Top each with a piece of the filet mignon.
Wrap the prosciutto around the beef and tightly wrap with the plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour and/or up to overnight. This ensures the meat will not overcook.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Cut the piece of puff pastry in half. Lightly dust a clean work surface and roll out the puff pastry just to remove the creases. Carefully unwrap the beef from the plastic wrap and place in the center of each piece of puff pastry.
Fold the puff pastry over the beef, pinching to seal it on all sides, trimming any excess puff pastry from the bottom. Place it seam side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of the pastry.
Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 130°F (54ºC), about 25 to 30 minutes for medium rare. If needed, broil for a minute for color.
Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature then cut in half and serve.
Cooking Time for Beef Wellington
An instant read meat thermometer gives the most accurate temperature for Beef Wellington. Because the temperature will continue to rise after the beef is removed from the oven and the meat rests, look for the following:
- 120ºF (49ºC) for rare
- 130ºF (54ºC) for medium-rare
- 140ºF (60ºC) for medium
Why is my Beef Wellington Soggy?
The juices from the beef and mushroom may leak out, leaving the puff pastry soggy rather than crisp and golden brown. To prevent this it’s important to make sure all the liquid evaporates from the mushroom duxelles. Wrapping the tenderloin in the prosciutto also helps to add a layer. If you still find it soggy, next time try adding a sheet of phyllo dough before the puff pastry to add an additional barrier.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
The British dish is traditionally made with beef tenderloin wrapped in duxelles, a mixture of sautéed, finely chopped mushrooms and onions or shallots (and sometimes foie gras) encased in prosciutto and puff pastry baked to a golden brown.
Scalability. It makes it much easier to scale up for more guests or scale down for a more intimate gathering.
Ease. Smaller portion sizes mean less room for error in cooking making it more approachable. Also, I find it harder to get the meat cooked to the perfect temperature with larger tenderloin portions since the ends will always be cooked more.
The juices from the beef and mushroom may leak out, leaving the puff pastry soggy rather than crisp and golden brown. To prevent this it’s important to make sure all the liquid evaporates from the mushroom duxelles. Wrapping the tenderloin in the prosciutto also helps to add a layer. If you still find it soggy, next time try adding a sheet of phyllo dough before the puff pastry to add an additional barrier.
The steak can be prepped with the mushroom duxelles and prosciutto and wrapped in plastic wrap, then refrigerated overnight or up to a day in advance, then baked in the puff pastry before serving.
Let the puff pastry sit at room temperature for 1 hour. If the dough is left out too long it can become too soft and the dough can easily tear.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this mini Beef Wellington recipe, give these a try and follow me on Instagram for more updates:
I hope you love this mini beef Wellington. If you make the recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy!
Mini Beef Wellington
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Ingredients:
- 2 (8-ounce) filet mignons
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 10 ounces baby bella (cremini mushrooms) , finely diced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons dry vermouth
- 4 slices prosciutto
- 1 large egg
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
Instructions:
- Pat the filet mignon dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat through. Add the filets and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes total.
- Remove to a plate and set aside. Brush or spread the Dijon mustard over the filets and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes.
- Return the pan to medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the shallots, mushrooms and thyme, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms reduce in size and are no longer watery, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the vermouth and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are dry. Remove from heat and discard the thyme. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.
- Stretch out 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a workspace. Lay out 2 slices of prosciutto on each so they are just overlapping. Spread the mushroom mixture over each. Top each with a piece of the filet mignon.
- Wrap the prosciutto around the beef and tightly wrap with the plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour and/or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Cut the piece of puff pastry in half. Lightly dust a clean work surface and roll out the puff pastry just to remove the creases. Carefully unwrap the beef from the plastic wrap and place in the center of each piece of puff pastry.
- Fold the puff pastry over the beef, pinching to seal it on all sides, trimming any excess puff pastry from the bottom. Place it seam side down on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash and use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of the pastry.
- Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 130°F (54ºC), about 25 minutes for medium rare. If needed, broil for a minute for color. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature then cut in half and serve.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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Wow! This recipe rocked my world! Instructions were perfect and it turned out so good! This is now my special occasion go-to!!
Thank you so much Trish!!
This was probably the best dinner I have ever made! I made this for New Years Eve as a surprise dinner for my husband since he’s been dying to make Beef Wellington—so it was a huge hit. There was SO much flavor. It was just amazing. Can’t wait to make again!
Ah this makes me so happy Christina!!! I’m so glad it was a hit!
These look amazing! I am going to serve these to 10 guests at my Christmas dinner. Will there be any problems with baking 10 at a time? Will that cool the oven temperature down by putting that many in at one time? I want them to be as perfect as yours!
Thank you!! You should be good! Just make sure your oven is fully heated before adding them and add them quickly so you don’t let too much heat out and they should turn out perfect! I hope you enjoy!
My local butcher was selling “tenderloin ends” that had been trimmed off of larger tenderloins, and was doing so at a big discount. Took two of those (12oz total) tied them to make a cylinder, and made a personal mini Beef Wellington using this recipe. Didn’t even have to adapt much, and had a bargain gourmet meal.
Wow that’s a great idea! So happy to hear it worked out!
Thank you for the pleasure and delight of the meal which resulted from this recipe. Just as advertised. All the best!
So happy to hear you enjoyed! Thank you for sharing!
Straightforward recipe and the results were fantastic! Served a group of 10 people by increasing the quantities accordingly and they all baked beautifully. Got my meat more cheaply by having the butcher slice a whole tenderloin into 1 inch pieces instead of buying small filets. Will definitely make again!
So happy you were able to scale it up easily Laura! Great tip about having the butcher slice the whole tenderloin! Thank you so much for sharing!
I made these for my dad’s birthday yesterday and everyone loved them! The flavor was amazing and your directions were so easy to follow. Definitely making these for our next special occasion.