Beef Wellington with Mushroom Duxelles and Madeira Jus
Winter's proper showstopper—crisp pastry, pink beef, dark mushrooms.
This is the dish that got me cooking properly—saw a mate's mum make it one Boxing Day in Fulham, and I've been chasing that golden pastry ever since. It's not fancy, it's just honest beef wrapped in what it needs: mushrooms, ham, pastry. London winter demands something with backbone.
How to Cook It
- 01
Sear the beef—get a crust on
Season the fillet heavily with salt and pepper. Get a hot pan (cast iron if you have it) smoking. Sear the beef all over until it's dark brown, 2 minutes per side. You're sealing it, not cooking it through. Rest it on a plate while you breathe.
~8 min - 02
Make the duxelles—mince those mushrooms fine
Chop the mushrooms finely by hand or pulse them (not powder-fine, you want texture). Finely dice the shallots. Heat a large pan dry, add the mushrooms first to drive off their water—about 3 minutes of stirring. Only then add a knob of butter, the shallots, salt, pepper. Cook until it's dark, dry, and clumpy. You want no wetness left. Cool it properly.
~15 min - 03
Wrap it up—ham, duxelles, pastry
Lay the ham slices overlapping on cling film—about the size your beef is long. Spread the cooled duxelles over the ham in a strip down the middle. Lay the seared beef on top. Using the cling film, roll it all up so the ham and mushrooms wrap the beef tight. Chill it 15 minutes. Roll out the pastry, wrap the beef parcel in it, seal with egg wash, chill another 10 minutes.
~30 min - 04
Bake until pastry's golden
Brush the whole thing with egg wash one more time. Bake at 200°C until the pastry is deep golden and puffed—about 25–30 minutes. The beef inside will be medium-rare if you've timed it right. Rest it 5 minutes before cutting.
~30 min - 05
Make the jus—don't skip this
While the Wellington rests, deglaze the searing pan with Madeira, scrape up every brown bit, let it bubble and reduce by half. Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer, taste it. Season carefully. A pinch of Dijon if it needs grip. Pass it through a sieve. Silky, dark, savoury—this is your glue.
~10 min
“Slice the Wellington cleanly—you'll see the rings of ham, mushroom, and pink beef. Place a slice upright or flat on a warm plate. Pour the Madeira jus around (not over—you want to see the pastry). Serve with creamed celeriac, buttered kale, or pommes Anna on the side. Keep it simple. The Wellington is enough.”
First bite: the pastry is crisp and crackles, then gives way to the umami depth of the duxelles, then the salt of the ham, then the clean, pink beef underneath. The Madeira jus is sweet-savoury, rich without being heavy. By the last bite, you're thinking about another glass of wine and whether you have room for pudding.
Skip the beef fillet and ham entirely. Build the Wellington around a long block of firm tofu (pressed overnight, then marinated in tamari, smoked paprika, and garlic) or a thick slice of roasted cauliflower steak. Make the duxelles exactly the same—mushrooms and shallots are the star. Wrap everything in the puff pastry the same way. The Madeira jus stays exactly the same but use vegetable stock instead of beef stock. You'll lose nothing except the meat. The pastry and mushrooms are what make this sing anyway.
Dark berries, structure, tannins that grip the beef. Winter perfection.
Silkier, earthier—the mushrooms sing with it. Equally good.
Toasty, malty, enough body to stand up to the pastry and beef.
Not a beverage pairing, but a palate refresh—clear, savoury, elegant.
- ·Don't skip the resting stages—pastry gets soggy if it hits a hot filling.
- ·The duxelles must be dry or you'll have steam and soggy pastry. Keep stirring.
- ·Sear the beef properly. A pale surface = soggy pastry. You want crust.
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