For anyone who knows Jose Mier, they’ll tell you I’m not picky about food. And I can appreciate any type of food, from the humble to the sublime. Hey, just take a look at my In and Out post. Fast food, done well is delicious. But sometimes we want to take it up a notch (like Emeril Lagasse) and do something fancy. Today I want to talk about Beef Wellington. This is something you have to save for a really special dinner, but the effort is worth it.
Beef Wellington is a well-known Anglo-Saxon recipe, simple and quick to prepare and can be served for Christmas or any other festivity you wish to celebrate with a delicious meal. This dish with a great name is composed of a piece of beef or veal fillet, foie gras, mushroom and onion sauce, puff pastry and ham. Chef Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, which includes Parma ham, is based on the authentic beef or beef Wellington recipe. It’s very simple to make and perfect for impressing your guests.
Where does the name come from?
The origin of the name seems to come from the first Duke of Wellington himself, the British military man Arthur Wellesley, whose great victory dates back to the Battle of Waterloo over Napoleon Bonaparte. This man was so enthusiastic about mixing foie gras with puff pastry and meat that, they say, he demanded that it be the main course at every banquet he presided over. That’s what they say, at least. But take it with a pinch of salt (since we’re all about food metaphors here).
How do you cook a good Beef Wellington?
It is essential to remove as much fat from the meat you choose, because if we leave it the puff pastry will not adhere to the meat and the result will not be good. This task is not easy but it is likely that your trusted butcher will do the job.
The secret to the success of a delicious Wellington meat will be in the combination of condiments that add the special flavor to the piece of meat such as thyme, rosemary, tarragon, garlic and that touch of pepper that should never be missing. Gordon Ramsey adds a handful of crushed chestnuts and fresh thyme, and at the same time a mass of puff pastry that adheres perfectly to the meat and allows it to remain juicy and with that exquisite flavor that will make every diner fall in love with it.
At the end you will have an elegant dish, a classic of British cuisine perfect for celebrations.
If you don’t want to make it yourself, your best (and closest) bet near Sun Valley is the Castaway restaurant in neighboring Burbank. Yeah, it’s going to cost more than a trip to IN and Out, but this is something to splurge on when you’re feeling celebratory.