Not quite Beef Wellington (which usually contains a stuffing type mix of mushrooms), this is simply my own basic recipe for a whole beef fillet wrapped in puff pastry.
It’s a great Winter dish which I’ve been making for years now. It looks really nice at the table, yet is quite easy to throw together and also works well if you serve it at a dinner party – also because most of the preparation can be done beforehand, and then all you need to do is just cook it about 30 – 40 minutes before you plan to eat it.
I usually serve this with mashed potatoes, fresh veggies & a big jug of gravy -:
Fillet of Beef Wrapped In Puff Pastry
1 kg piece of whole Beef fillet (cleaned & trimmed)
Seasoning of your choice (eg. Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Chilli Flakes, Mustard)
Olive Oil
600 gm piece of Puff Pastry
Flour for dusting
1 Egg, beaten
Season the piece of beef with whatever you choose (I use a shop bought dry ground rub mix of sea salt, mustard seeds, dried chilli flakes, ground ginger, garlic flakes and dried onions). Heat a little olive oil in a pan until almost smoking and then quickly add the whole fillet, turning it to seal all sides and retain the juices. It will also go brown on the surface, and is only in the pan for around 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool. (Pictured below - the fillet just after sealing it in the pan).
It’s a great Winter dish which I’ve been making for years now. It looks really nice at the table, yet is quite easy to throw together and also works well if you serve it at a dinner party – also because most of the preparation can be done beforehand, and then all you need to do is just cook it about 30 – 40 minutes before you plan to eat it.
I usually serve this with mashed potatoes, fresh veggies & a big jug of gravy -:
Fillet of Beef Wrapped In Puff Pastry
1 kg piece of whole Beef fillet (cleaned & trimmed)
Seasoning of your choice (eg. Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Chilli Flakes, Mustard)
Olive Oil
600 gm piece of Puff Pastry
Flour for dusting
1 Egg, beaten
Season the piece of beef with whatever you choose (I use a shop bought dry ground rub mix of sea salt, mustard seeds, dried chilli flakes, ground ginger, garlic flakes and dried onions). Heat a little olive oil in a pan until almost smoking and then quickly add the whole fillet, turning it to seal all sides and retain the juices. It will also go brown on the surface, and is only in the pan for around 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool. (Pictured below - the fillet just after sealing it in the pan).
On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to form a square or rectangle to fit the piece of fillet. (You should roll the pastry out fairly thinly so that it cooks well & at the same time as the beef.) Once the fillet has cooled, place it on top of (& in the middle of) the pastry and fold the pastry around it to seal it in. Tuck the ends in & then place it on a lightly greased baking tray. Brush with beaten egg & decorate with pastry off cuts if you like (as pictured below). 
Place it in the oven at Gas Mark 8/230’C/450’F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to Gas Mark 5/190’C/375’F and cook for a further 20 minutes. The pastry should now be a golden brown colour & have puffed out/risen slightly as shown in the photo below -:
Allow to rest for around 10 minutes before cutting it into slices (the beef should be a pinkish colour) and serve immediately with a nice gravy, vegetables & mashed potatoes. The beef is shown below, garnished with sprigs of fresh thyme and sliced & served on a platter -:
