We are BIG fans of the show Hell’s kitchen around our house.  Each time we watch it we talk about how much we’d like to try some of the foods made.  Beef Wellington is one of the top ones on our list. We had never heard of it- let alone knew what was in it or how to make it before watching Hell’s Kitchen.  And who better to trust for a new recipe than Chef Ramsay?  So the planning began!

I found the recipe and even a video instruction on Gourmet Guys
Here’s the instructional video-

Ok so my mistake was- we had friends over and since I was already in the kitchen cooking while they were visiting with my husband and daughter I didn’t want to seem even more rude or distracted by watching a video…….. well, it would have helped!!  Although my mistakes were different enough to not be exactly like Chef Ramsay’s, it still tasted fabulous!

The meat you want for this is Fillet Minion.  This is one of, if not THE most expensive cuts of meat (beef) you can purchase. What I did was watch the stores for a week or so.  Since it’s a more expensive cut of meat the stores usually had it discounted- which basically meant it needed to be used or frozen within a day or two.  So I bought them here and there at half price and came home and put them in my freezer.  Then the day I was ready to cook them I just defrosted them- no big deal and it saved me a ton of money!  This meat is definitely worth the money- when cooked it’s like BUTTER and just melts in your mouth!  Sooo good!

So here’s what you do- (and what I didn’t do)

Coat a pan with olive oil and have the heat on high
Season the fillet’s with salt & pepper then place them in the pan and sear them until they have a good coloring all around them.  Remove from heat and brush with mustard.

In a food processor blend some mushrooms (depending on how many you are making will depend on how many mushrooms you use- I would say a full container for 4)
Then place the mushrooms (which now look like a paste) into a pan and cook out the water.  (don’t add any oil or water)

Spread out some plastic wrap and lay the parma ham (basically pancetta) then spread the mushroom paste over the pancetta.  Set the fillet in the middle and roll it all up together with the plastic wrap.  Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Roll out some puff pastry dough.  Unroll the fillet  from the plastic wrap and place it in the middle of the pastry dough.  Brush an egg wash (beaten egg) along the sides to help it seal once you roll it up.
Roll the dough over the fillet and seal all edges.
Brush with more egg wash, then score the top of the pastry with your knife.  Sprinkle some salt on top.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Remember to let it rest for a few minutes before cutting!

So here is where I went wrong (by not watching the video lol)  I seared the fillet, but didn’t see the part about blending the mushrooms so I cooked them in a pan while they were sliced.  I also missed the part about wrapping up the fillet with the pancetta and mushrooms without the dough- so when I wrapped everything up it was with the dough the first time.  I missed the part about sealing it with an egg wash, however I did brush egg on top.  But didn’t salt it.

I couldn’t find my brush so I went the simple way and just poured the mustard on top.  Chef Ramsay would throw something at me for sure if he saw this lol

Anyhow- mistakes and all it still tasted wonderful!  And we plan to make it again- this time following all the instructions! 😀