Individual Beef Wellington | A Ground Beef Recipe | Mantitlement (2024)

FAQs

How much Beef Wellington per person? ›

It's a truly ideal for a special occasion, dinner party or holiday entertaining. Individual beef wellingtons are usually a 4-6oz single serving. Each person gets their own! It's a little more work because you have to prep and wrap each individual steak but it's also a great way to make each person feel special.

To prevent a soggy bottom on your Beef Wellington, make sure your duxelle is cooked well to let the mushrooms release all their moisture. Also, the prosciutto will help to act as a barrier to keep the liquids inside. Brushing an egg wash on the inside of the pastry can also help form a barrier while it cooks.

Calculate roughly 400g per person. If cooking beef off the bone, 1kg will serve four and 1.5kg will serve about six, so 200-300g per person.

A question we often get is “How much meat do I need?” The starting rule of thumb is: Boneless Meat: 1/2 lb. per person for adults and 1/4 lb. per person for children.

It's actually fairly easy to figure out how much you need to buy: Simply purchase 8 ounces (1/2 pound) of meat per person. So if you're feeding 6 people, you'll need three pounds of meat.

If you prefer, you can make the various stages up to 24 hours ahead, but don't assemble it then as the pastry will start to discolour. Brown the beef, make the duxelles (fried mushrooms), then wrap separately in cling film and store in the fridge (wrapping the fillet tightly helps it keep its shape).

Beef wellington is not an easy dish to prepare with perfection. For starters, getting the tenderloin steak right is a challenge in itself. It has to be tender on the inside but decently firm on the outside, so it doesn't get mushed inside. The pâté and the duxelles are like preparing two individual dishes themselves.

Tenderize the sirloin by pounding with a meat mallet for several minutes (we're trying to simulate a filet here). In a medium-hot pan, sear the steak on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. The steak should still be rare inside at this point. Refrigerate until ready to use again.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper so it doesn't stick to the pan (and it makes cleaning easier). Place the desired amount of beef wellington on the lined baking sheet and loosely cover with aluminum foil, which ensures the puff pastry gets crispy without burning.

Brush the entire Wellington with beaten egg. You can decorate the top using pastry scraps, brush them with egg as well. You can prepare the Wellington up to 24 hours in advance at this point, but make sure you remove it from the fridge 30-40 minutes before the final bake.

Can you overcook Beef Wellington? ›

We'll cook the Wellington at 425°F (218°C) to puff the pastry. But we needn't fear that our beef will overcook too quickly because once the pastry is puffed, it literally becomes a coat of insulation for the meat: all those air pockets slow the flow of heat from the outside to the beef and prevent it from scorching.

A traditional Beef Wellington consists of a beef tenderloin wrapped in layers of pâté, duxelles (a finely chopped mushroom mixture), parma ham, and puff pastry, then baked. Rumor has it that Beef Wellington got its name from Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, who counted the dish among his favorite recipes.

It's actually fairly easy to figure out how much you need to buy: Simply purchase 8 ounces (1/2 pound) of meat per person. So if you're feeding 6 people, you'll need three pounds of meat.

The tenderloin itself, once trimmed and cooked, serves about 2-3 people per pound as part of a larger meal, so often anywhere from 12-16 people for a whole one.

Since beef tenderloin is a relatively lean, boneless cut of beef and tends to be quite expensive, you can easily cut down that recommendation to 6 ounces of beef per person, especially if your dinner menu includes a few hearty sides. For feeding four to six guests, you'll want a roast between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.

In general, I recommend 8 ounces of beef tenderloin per person.