Beef Wellington is a timeless British culinary masterpiece that features succulent beef tenderloin enveloped in a luscious coating of mushroom duxelles — crafted from finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and herbs. It is then encased in layers of golden-brown puff pastry, resulting in a dish that marries luxury with robust flavours.
Widely revered for its opulent preparation and refined presentation, Beef Wellington is synonymous with special occasions and fine dining. While debates persist about its precise origins, the dish is commonly associated with British cuisine and is purportedly named after the Duke of Wellington, who considered this work of culinary art to be among his favourite dishes.
The traditional method of preparing Beef Wellington involves an initial searing of the beef to lock in its juices, followed by the application of a generous layer of mushroom duxelles, before the entire ensemble is delicately wrapped in puff pastry. Prior to baking, the pastry is often adorned with intricate patterns, adding a touch of artistry to the culinary craftsmanship. When served, the dish is elegantly sliced, revealing the harmonious layers of beef, mushroom, and flaky pastry.
When making Beef Wellington, calling it a labour of love is a vast understatement. However, if you're up for the challenge, let Lewis Barker of one-MICHELIN-starred Sommer show you how it's done, with his step-by-step recipe on how to make this British classic.
"It has been 10 years since I was last based in my hometown of Leeds," shares the English chef. "Now living in Singapore, the holiday season has evolved for me drastically. It took some time to adapt to the fact that it's 30°C on Christmas Day, which brings a different feeling to the occasion."
Barker describes Christmas in Leeds as waking up to cold, dark winter mornings and heading downstairs wrapped up in a dressing gown to share presents with the family. "Now, it's transitioned to sitting by the balcony with the air conditioner turned on, a cup of Yorkshire Tea in hand, swiftly followed by something a little stronger," he laughs.
This year, Barker says that he will be taking a quick trip to Tokyo for the holidays. "I love the cold weather, and given that it's so hot here [in Singapore] all year round, wrapping up the year in winter wear and walking along Tokyo's amazing streets with all that eating and drinking makes the occasion feel so much more special."
When asked about his favourite Yuletide memories, Barker shares excitedly that as a child, the family would come together at his grandmother's house, and they'd cook a feast with everyone involved — a treasured memory kept close to his heart. Another prized memory involves his first tropical Christmas, which he spent in Phuket; and lastly, his first Christmas back in Leeds after eight years, just after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The feeling of being there in the winter, and all the family being together enjoying the day was quite surreal at the time," he shares. As for holiday tunes, Barker says that his favourite one would have to be Fairytale of New York by The Pogues.
Now, onto the Beef Wellington.
"I first started learning how to make Beef Wellington properly whilst working under chef Luke Armstrong at the now-defunct Kitchen at Bacchanalia, from how to create the pastry lattice, the techniques, down to the cooking times. From there, I adapted my recipe to how I personally enjoyed cooking Beef Wellington, as well as how I personally like to visually present it — from the pastry design to how the Beef Wellington looks like after you cut through it. As an English chef, I feel it is such a significant dish; a classic one of Gordon Ramsay's. Growing up in the 2000’s, he was one of the chefs I really looked up to," says Barker.
“The most important tip when making a Beef Wellington is the baking process. Cook it at the correct temperature, with the correct baking equipment, and remove it from the oven at the correct timing. The resting time of the Beef Wellington is equally important, too.”
Barker advises that a good Beef Wellington always starts with a great piece of beef. "The flavour should be the star of the show," he adds.
And as Barker playfully quips that his secret to his Beef Wellington will always remain a secret, he still generously shares the entire step-by-step process of making it at home. Challenge accepted?
Lewis Barker's Beef Wellington Recipe
For the Beef Wellington
● 1 x 2kg Beef Tenderloin
● Dijon Mustard
● Salt & Pepper
1. Take the tenderloin and remove any sinew and fat that may be on the loin.
2. Season the tenderloin well with fine salt and seal the tenderloin on high heat in a pan using a neutral oil, grape-seed oil, or sunflower oil.
3. Once the tenderloin has an even colour, remove it from the pan and place into the chiller to cool quickly, stopping any internal cooking.
4. Once chilled, take your tenderloin and brush with Dijon Mustard and season with crushed Black pepper evenly.
For the Mushroom Duxelles
● 2kg Swiss Brown Mushrooms
● 250g Banana Shallot, peeled
● 4 cloves Garlic, peeled
● 10g Picked Thyme
● 500g Large Leaf Spinach (stalk removed)
● 700gr Chicken Mousseline
● 1kg Roasted Mushroom Farce
1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and cut into 1/4 pieces.
2. Roast the mushrooms in neutral oil in a frying pan and season directly with salt to help to remove the moisture.
3. Finely dice the shallots and the garlic and add to the pan alongside the picked thyme.
4. Once the mushrooms are roasted to a golden brown stage and the moisture from the mushrooms has been removed, add in the large leaf spinach and cook until softened.
5. Remove from the pan and drain well.
6. Chop the mixture well until the spinach and the mushrooms are well-mixed but not too fine, leaving some texture to the duxelles. This is the base of your roasted mushroom farce.
7. Season your duxelles to taste with fine salt and cracked black pepper.
8. In a chilled bowl, fold in your chicken mousse to your duxelles and reserve in the fridge to chill in a bowl over ice.
For the Chicken Mousse
● 350g Skinless Chicken Breast
● 350ml Double Cream
● 12.5g Fine Salt
1. Dice the chicken breast and place inside a chilled food processor jug along with salt. Blend the chicken breast until it forms a paste.
2. Slowly add the chilled double cream until fully incorporated.
3. Pass the mousse through a fine sieve and reserve in a bowl over ice.
For the Spinach Crepe
● 500g Plain Flour
● 500ml Milk
● 5 Whole Eggs
● 750g Spinach Leaf
1. Blend all ingredients together and pass through a fine sieve.
2. In a non-stick pan, lightly cook the crepe in a little bit of melted unsalted butter.
3. Once cooked both sides, reserve.
Assembling the Beef Wellington
1. On a large sheet of cling film, spread your mushroom duxelles farce evenly, up to 1.5 cm thickness, using enough to completely encase your beef tenderloin.
2. Once spread evenly, place your tenderloin on top of the duxelles mixture and fold the duxelles around your tenderloin.
3. Fold the ends of the cling film and reserve in the fridge to chill.
4. Using another cling film, lay out your spinach crepe.
5. Take the rolled tenderloin from the fridge and remove from the cling film and place it on top of your spinach crepe.
6. Repeat the same process and roll the crepe around your tenderloin.
7. Lay out your puff pastry and remove your tenderloin from the fridge.
8. Place the tenderloin on the forefront of the pastry and roll the pastry around the tenderloin, making sure there are no holes in the Beef Wellington.
9. Fold the sides of the Beef Wellington and cut away any excess pastry.
10. Place the Beef Wellington on a baking tray and brush it with egg yolk wash. Reserve in the fridge until the egg yolk dries.
11. Repeat this process three times; this will give you a beautiful golden colour once the Beef Wellington is baked, and it will also help to seal the pastry.
Cooking the Beef Wellington
1. Set your oven's temperature to 200°C and place a heavy baking tray inside to pre-heat.
2. Once your oven is ready, place the Beef Wellington directly onto the baking tray, with no parchment. This will allow the base of the Beef Wellington to evenly bake.
3. Bake the Beef Wellington on full fan for 25 minutes, until it reaches a core temperature of 30°C.
4. After 25 minutes, take it out of the oven and allow it to rest further.
6. Rest the Beef Wellington until the core temperature reaches 55°C before carving and enjoying it with your loved ones.
Suggested Sides
Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Pancetta and gratinated in a Gruyere Cheese Sauce; a good eggnog
All images in this article are courtesy of Lewis Barker
