This dish will wow your guests and has recently become a holiday favorite in the Candelaria family. The key to success with Beef Wellington is patience while assembling the dough lattice and cooking the meat to the perfect temperature. That moment when you cut it open in front of your guests and reveal the delicious meat and mushrooms inside is like opening a fabulous present! This meal is certainly a gift to enjoy and we will be doing so for our family’s Christmas dinner this year.

INGREDIENTS

Southwest Rub
• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 pound of finely ground button mushrooms
• 2 tsp of red chile powder
• ½ tsp of black pepper
• ¾ tsp of salt
• ¼ cup of bourbon

Beef
• 3 to 3 ½ pound beef tenderloin cut from the thick part of the tenderloin—not the ends—well cleaned of all fat
• 1 tsp of red chile powder
• ½ tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp of salt
• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• ¼ cup of Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto
• 3 sheets (18-ounce) of puff pastry, thawed if frozen, but still cold
• 2 beaten egg yolks combined with 1 tbsp of water

PREPARATION

Southwest Rub
• In a large sauté pan over moderate heat, add the oil and sauté the shallots and the minced garlic until they are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
• Then add the ground mushrooms, red chile powder, salt and pepper, and the bourbon. Cook until the mushrooms have released whatever moisture they have left, and the mixture has become dry and paste-like; this will take about 10 minutes or so. Remove from the pan and let the mixture cool.

Beef Preparation and Assembly
• Season the beef with salt, chile powder and cumin.
• In a very hot cast iron pan, sear the beef in avocado oil browning all the sides.
• Remove the beef and let cool. Brush all sides with the mustard.
• On a floured surface, roll out one puff pastry sheet slightly to make a rectangle that is about 2 to 3 inches larger on each side of the width of your beef. Place the other sheet in the refrigerator until needed.
• Layer the prosciutto on the puff pastry sheet in an area that is the same size as the beef. Top the prosciutto with about ¼ of the mushroom mixture.
• Place the beef on top of the prosciutto and mushroom mixture and cover the beef with the remaining mushroom mixture. Layer the remaining prosciutto on top of the mushroom mixture so that the beef is completely encased.

• Roll the puff pastry around the beef and fold up around the sides. Brush the pastry with the egg wash.
• If needed, place the extra sheet of puff pastry on top of the beef, pressing it around the beef so that it overlaps the bottom sheet that was folded up the sides to encase the beef. Press the two sheets together so they make a tight fit. Roll up the encased beef in plastic tightly and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that it firms up.
• After 30 minutes in the fridge, place the beef on a well-greased baking sheet, preferably with a wire rack so any moisture will not be pooling.
• Brush the beef roll with the egg wash and then get a third sheet of puff pastry and use your dough lattice cutter to make your dough lattice which you will lay over the entire top side of the beef pastry roll. Brush the top pastry with more egg wash for a nice golden color finish.

• Bake in a 425-degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and check with your meat thermometer for a temperature of 120 degrees. If not to temperature, place back in oven and then check every 5 minutes until the meat reaches 120 degrees.
• When done and removed from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes on a wire rack wrapped in foil before serving.
• Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with roasted vegetables and diced parsley.

Enjoy & please post & tag @candelariadesign on Instagram if you make our recipe!