The Best Cut Of Steak For The Tastiest Beef Wellington

Traditional beef Wellington consists of roast beef wrapped in pastry with a layer of liver pate between the two. Developer Hayley MacLean, however, simplifies things in her easy individual beef Wellington recipe by omitting the polarizing pate (not everyone's a fan of organ meats, after all) and wrapping smaller steaks in pre-made puff pastry. This makes for a dish that still looks super-fancy but is something that an intermediate-level home cook shouldn't have too much trouble making.

As the heart of the dish is beef, this is where most of the flavor comes from, although the mushrooms, onions, and a small splash of sherry also do their bit to make things tasty. Still, it matters what cut of meat you use, since you need to make sure that the steaks will be sufficiently cooked, yet not overdone, by the time the pastry is puffy and golden. MacLean is here opting for tenderloin steaks, which are an appropriate choice as they're cut from the same part of the cow that can be used to make a full-scale beef Wellington. That way, she's assuring that her smaller-size pastry packages have the same rich and meaty flavor as the original dish.

These steak Wellingtons are baked in the oven as you can't really pan-fry puff pastry with any degree of success, but MacLean does pre-cook the meat in a pan. This searing step is meant to keep the juices inside the steaks and prevent them from oozing out and making the crust soggy, which is a common mistake with bigger beef Wellingtons, too. You'll need to take care when wrapping the steaks in the dough, though. MacLean points out, "You do not want too much overlap on the bottom or else it might not cook through." As for the egg wash, she says this "adds flavor but also gives a perfectly golden crispy crust," although admits that "without it, [the pastry] will still cook well."

This recipe makes two steak Wellingtons, but if you only want one, it's best to cut the ingredients in half. MacLean insists the dish is "best served freshly made" and cautions that if it's reheated, "The beef may get overcooked and the puff pastry will not have its nice crispy texture." If you do have leftovers, however, you're hardly going to throw them out because wasting food is a terrible shame. The best way to revive them is to wrap them in foil and heat them in an oven (300 F) for 15 minutes or so. While warmed-over steak Wellington may not regain 100% of its former glory, it'll still make a pretty amazing snack.