Delicious Craftsmanship: Beef Wellington
Oh, Beef Wellington. What a marvel of food architecture. It certainly takes a special kind of person to take the most luxurious cut of beef, and think to themselves “You know what? This needs to be dressed up a bit more. While a bit excessive, the Beef Wellington rarely fails to impress. It is a champion of the old-school fine dining world. It is a dignified hero of gastronomy, too grand and delicious to need words like “trendy” to describe it. It is difficult to prepare, but that fact only makes it more impressive. Serving a Beef Wellington is like saying “I know this is over the top, but I like it that way. Nothing is too good for my table.”
If you have never embarked upon the labor of love that is the construction of a Beef Wellington, let me dispel any notions you may have that it’s some sort of slapdash meat and crust construction. It takes time, patience and technique to conjure one of these multilayered steak dishes. First you must obtain a large tenderloin, which of course, is not cheap. Then, after seasoning and searing the tenderloin (a task which is simple, but requires some knowledge of beef cookery), you must be patient while chilling it down in the fridge. Then you must create a duxelles, which is minced and sautéed mushrooms and shallots. It’s imperative to cook the duxelles enough so it is not too wet, which if it is would result in structural failure of your beefy labors. Then you have to create a nice pastry crust, which as any pie making grandmother would tell you, requires great care and special attention to the temperature of the ingredients. Then you must wrap the chilled tenderloin in the cold duxelles and be patient as it chills and firms in the fridge. Only after a cold nap can the tenderloin and duxelles be enrobed in the savory pastry crust (possibly adorned with a lovely lattice or other decorations) and egg washed generously before baking just right, so the crust is cooked through and crisp, but the beef isn’t overdone. You see? Its not just some steak and crust that we are dealing with here. The Beef Wellington stands as an edible testament to the beauty and labor of classic cuisine. It is one of those things that you don’t see very much anymore, but if you are lucky enough to, you should understand that it has been given great attention, care and skill to arrive at your table.
The provenance of the Beef Wellington is twofold. Like many established preparations its history jumps back and forth between cuisines. So many recipes that we want to wed to a specific culinary heritage have their origins in another cuisine entirely. The name Beef Wellington was certainly given by the British. The United Kingdom claims Beef Wellington as a national dish. It is a food well suited to that country, with their love of meat pies. What is Beef Wellington, if not a meat pie constructed from a whole muscle cut? The name of Beef Wellington is a nod to the British Arthur Wellesly, the duke of Wellington, who won the battle of Waterloo against Napoleon Bonaparte. The dish was popularized and codified by the British, yes, but it is made up of French preparations. The pastry that envelops the fillet is either a classic French Pate Brisee (savory crust) or pâte feuilletée (puff pastry). The layer that envelops the fillet is a duxelles: chopped mushrooms and Shallots which have been sautéed. Duxelles is another classic in French cuisine. Sometimes you will even encounter beef Wellington which includes a pate of foie gras. Foie gras is of course, about as French as food can get. There are even recipes in French cuisine for filet de boeuf en croute which is identical to Beef Wellington.
Whoever it was who first wrapped beef fillet in pastry doesn’t really matter anymore. It is a juicy steak and savory mushrooms and a rich crust so it is really a no brainer that this food will be delightful. What matters it that Beef Wellington is beautiful. It is the embodiment of culinary finesse.