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Open-Faced Beef Wellington

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 16, 2012

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Open-Faced Beef Wellington

Ingredients

1 (9 ½ by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry, thawed4 center-cut tenderloin steaks, about 1 ½ inches thickSalt and pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin1 shallot, minced½ cup red wine ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut puff pastry into quarters. Bake puff pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
  3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and shallot until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine, broth, and any accumulated beef juices and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Top each puff pastry with 1 steak and one-quarter of mushroom mixture. Serve.
Open-Faced Beef Wellington

Open-Faced Beef Wellington

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 (9 ½ by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 center-cut tenderloin steaks, about 1 ½ inches thick
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
½ cup red wine
¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Ingredients

1 (9 ½ by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 center-cut tenderloin steaks, about 1 ½ inches thick
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
½ cup red wine
¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Ingredients

1 (9 ½ by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry, thawed
4 center-cut tenderloin steaks, about 1 ½ inches thick
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
1 shallot, minced
½ cup red wine
¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

We used frozen puff pastry for our Open-Faced Beef Wellington instead of making pastry from scratch. We traded in the roast for tenderloin steaks, which cooked in a matter of minutes instead of hours. To boost the flavor of our makeshift beef Wellington, we made a quick pan sauce using the drippings from our meat combined with cremini mushrooms, wine, and chicken broth.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut puff pastry into quarters. Bake puff pastry on parchment-lined baking sheet until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, pat steaks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steaks until well browned and meat registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
  3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and shallot until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine, broth, and any accumulated beef juices and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Top each puff pastry with 1 steak and one-quarter of mushroom mixture. Serve.

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