If I ever mention Beef Wellington again...

[Jenise]

...please remind that I said: I AM COMPLETELY OVER BEEF WELLINGTON.

Seriously. Bought this BEEYOOTIFULL whole prime tenderloin. Carved out one long piece to serve 8, tied the rest into a roast, and threw the little tongue-shaped tail piece in a skillet to test just how prime was prime. As in, was it really worth $140? I was skeptical, not being a tenderloin fan in the first place.

To my shock, the answer to that was OH YEZ, as dear Rogov would say. It was super crusty on the outside, Wagyu rich and incredibly juicy on the inside--one of the best pieces of beef I can remember putting in my mouth.

But it was wasted in the Wellington. So juicy it sogged the bottom crust, and I honestly don't think the duck liver pate (a very good product I purchase locally from time to time, so can vouch for) added anything to the meat. Rather, it took away. I'd much rather have eaten another piece of that wonderful filet pan seared like the little tester piece, and a separate little 'tart' of puff pastry wrapped around a whole mushroom stuffed with that pate.

Never mess with a great piece of meat, and my former meat cutter husband always says!

We had a similar experience with our Beef Tenderloin en Croute. We roasted it partially the day before and then let it cool. We wrapped it with Prosciutto, and chilled it overnight. On Christmas Eve we wrapped it puff pastry and finished roasting it and let it set for a while. When I carved it the puff pastry and Prosciutto separated from the meat. We all enjoyed it anyway. There was a large piece left over. Last night I discarded the pastry and sliced the piece fairly thin. We then placed both meats in a beef gravy I had made very briefly and serve it to Lover and I. It was better that what we had on Christmas Eve. We only paid $93 for ours.

Fancy preps make up for less-than-perfect ingredients. Or, as in this case, when the chef's foremost goal is opulence.

[Jenise]

Fancy preps make up for less-than-perfect ingredients.

They do, no doubt. But another school of thought believes in always using the best ingredients you can lay your hands on. Personally, I don't believe either school of thought is thoroughly right (or wrong), it's very situational. But this time out, the meat was definitely too good for the dish. I'm glad to have a roast left over to get it right with (I'll slice it into steaks).

I'm with you Jenise. I've never understood Beef Wellington. I think the meat steams inside the pastry - not what I'm looking for in an expensive cut of beef.

I also agree. They always sound better in theory. (Sorry for your loss -- the lovely prime tenderloin....)
On the other hand, during a cruise a few years back, I enjoyed the most amazing salmon wellington. Oh my goodness, I could have eaten it every night.

[Jenise]

I also agree. They always sound better in theory. (Sorry for your loss -- the lovely prime tenderloin....)
On the other hand, during a cruise a few years back, I enjoyed the most amazing salmon wellington. Oh my goodness, I could have eaten it every night.

Much better use of pastry, I agree.

I also agree. They always sound better in theory. (Sorry for your loss -- the lovely prime tenderloin....)
On the other hand, during a cruise a few years back, I enjoyed the most amazing salmon wellington. Oh my goodness, I could have eaten it every night.

Now this sounds great, the salmon would cook faster than the beef...perfect match. Have you tried it at home?

[Jenise]

I also agree. They always sound better in theory. (Sorry for your loss -- the lovely prime tenderloin....)
On the other hand, during a cruise a few years back, I enjoyed the most amazing salmon wellington. Oh my goodness, I could have eaten it every night.

Now this sounds great, the salmon would cook faster than the beef...perfect match. Have you tried it at home?

Quite right, and the steaming effect Ken mentions is your friend in this case.

Try looking at recipes for Coulibiac.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulibiac

We've made one from Julia Child several times -- it was probably in Julia and Company.

The fish is in pastry but enhanced with rice, chopped HB egg, etc.

It's a Russian name, Russian recipe, originally for sturgeon but works very well with salmon.

I must say I have had a few beef wellingtos (not made by me) that delivered. Outstanding. But I don't personally run the risk. If I am crazing meat in a pastry, one option is this http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/poor-mans-beef-wellington-recipe/index.html which is very adaptable to variations.

Jason