Mini Beef Wellington

I am continuing with Holiday Appetizer Week.  With all of the snow in DC, Tucker and I have been cooped up in the house.  So, I wanted something warm and delicious to eat.  Nothing says warm and delicious like Beef.  When I used to work as a caterer we served mini beef wellingtons as an appetizer.  They were amazing.  After a bit of research, I purchased some puff pastry and beef tenderloin.  With a little experimenting I figured it out.

Mini Beef Wellingtons
Mini Beef Wellingtons

Cut the perfect little beef wellingtons into 1/2 inch thick rounds and serve to your lucky guests.

Mini Beef Wellingtons – (Adapted from Tyler Florence)

  • Duxelles
    • 1 pint white button mushrooms
    • 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 2 tsp thyme
    • 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Tenderloin
    • 1 pound center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
    • Extra-virgin olive oil for browning
    • 2 tbs thyme
    • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
    • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
    • 1 large eggs, lightly beaten

First make the Duxelles by adding mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Make sure the shallot and garlic are finely chopped too
Make sure the shallot and garlic are finely chopped too

Place a large pan over medium heat.  Add the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Cook till liquid is evaporated
Cook till liquid is evaporated

Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Slice the beef into quarters lengthwise. Drizzle the beef with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Cut the tenderloin into quarters
Cut the tenderloin into quarters

Sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil – about 2 to 3 minutes.

Sear the beef
Sear the beef

When the beef is seared, remove from heat and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly and then roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness.   Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Rollout the pastry and cover with the duxelle
Rollout the pastry and cover with the duxelle

Cut the pastry into 4 same sized rectangles.  Remove beef from refrigerator. Set one of the beef slices in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef.  Top with coarse sea salt. Roll the beef into logs using plastic wrap to make perfect little rounds.  Repeat with the other three beef slices.

Perfect little round
Perfect little round

Unwrap the wellingtons and place them seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife – this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking.

Brush with an egg wash
Brush with an egg wash

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

Mini Beef Wellington Rounds.  A perfect little appetizer.
Mini Beef Wellington Rounds. A perfect little appetizer.

Enjoy

-Rex

Rex

Rex is an avid griller, barbecuer and bacon enthusiast. He is the Pitmaster for the Rex BBQ competition team. Rex was also featured on the TV show American Grilled. If you have any questions or wish to have Rex decode your favorite dish, click on the ASK REX link in the menu above.

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