Hey-o! Did everyone have a jolly Christmas? We sure did! We got to see lots of family and oh boy did we eat and eat and eat. Usually on Christmas Eve Dave and I celebrate our own little Christmas by going out for Mexican or bringing home Popeyes chicken with all the sides. But this year Dave must have had his fancy pants on, because he was adamant we should attempt some big epic dinner for just the two of us.

Lucky for me, he landed on making Tyler Florence’s Ultimate Beef Wellington.

I don’t say this lightly…this was the best meal Dave has ever cooked (and he cooks a lot of damn good stuff). I think the Popeyes and Mexican Christmas Eve dinners have been officially retired. GIVE ME BEEF WELLINGTON. <3

It was so rich and flavorful – with the prosciutto, fresh herbs and mushroom puree, have mercy. I honestly woke up Christmas morning craving more – it’s that good. If you have a special occasion coming up or are staying in for New Year’s Eve – this is the perfect treat.

Servings: 6-8
Cook + Prep Time: About 2 hours

Ingredients

For the Duxelles:
3 pints of white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 chopped garlic cloves
leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Green Peppercorn Sauce
2 tbs olive oil
2 sliced shallots
2 smashed cloves garlic
leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup of brandy
1 box of beef stock
2 cups cream
2 tbs grainy mustard
1/2 cup green peppercorns in brine, drained, brine reserved*
*we couldn’t find these so used capers instead

First you need to make the Duxelles. Add the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Then, add the butter and olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture to the pan and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Next up, tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its shape while cooking. Drizzle the beef with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Get a saute pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, add a tbs of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and sear the beef on all sides, including the ends. Remove and set aside, keeping the pan to make the sauce later.

Now time for the prosciutto layer (hubba-hubba). Lay out a piece of plastic wrap that needs to be a foot and a half in length so that you can wrap and tie the roast up in it. Lay out the prosciutto on the plastic wrap in a shingle pattern (overlapping) so that it forms a rectangle that is big enough to wrap the entire filet of beef, plus a smidge extra on the ends to wrap the ends up.

Then, use a rubber spatula and cover the prosciutto with a layer of the duxelles. We felt like this recipe made a LOT of the duxelle, so if you have some remaining, that’s okay. I assume he makes a large batch to ensure coverage for multiple sized tenderloins. Next season the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

Cut the twine off of the beef and spread the Dijon mustard over the entire tenderloin, lightly. Place the tenderloin on the prosciutto at the bottom. Then use the plastic wrap to roll the tenderloin in the prosciutto nice and tight. Some of the mushroom mixture may ooze out a little bit – don’t fret (we did). Set this crazy beef log 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. We had to use two sheets and press them firmly together. Remove the beef from the refrigerator and cut off the plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold the pastry around the beef, ensuring to also tuck in the ends, ensuring that the beef is completely covered and sealed. Brush the wrapped beef with egg wash, top with course sea salt and cut a few slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Then place the beef with the seam side down on a baking sheet.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the beef is 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the beef from the oven and let rest before cutting into thick slices.

While the beef is cooking, make the green peppercorn sauce. Add olive oil to the same pan you seared the beef in.
Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme and saute for just 1 to 2 minutes. Next, off the heat, add brandy and flambe using a long kitchen match.

After the flame dies down, return the pan to the medium-high heat, add the stock and reduce by about half. Strain out the solids, then add 2 cups of cream and the mustard. Reduce by half again, then remove from the heat and add the green peppercorns or capers.

Now you’re finally ready to eat! Take a big slice of the filet and top with the green peppercorn sauce and eat up! You will not regret making this insanely tasty dish. SO freaking good. 😀