Published November 1, 2001.
To update the notoriously difficult Beef Wellington recipe and ensure that we would wind up with tender, flavorful beef encased in earthy mushrooms, rich pâte, and a flaky pastry, we dry-aged and seared the right cut of beef, covered the meat with duxelles (finely chopped and sautéed mushrooms) and pâte, and then assembled and baked the Beef Wellington on the lowest rack of a very hot oven to prevent a soggy bottom crust.
See timeline below. Ask the butcher to trim excess fat and silver skin from the Châteaubriand and to tie the roast at regular intervals with twine. Be sure to use a smooth-textured pâté, not a coarse country pâté. If you prefer to use store-bought pastry, look for the Dufour brand in the freezer section of better grocery stores. One 14-ounce package will be enough; defrost it in the refrigerator for 3 hours before using. Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry will not work because the size of the sheets is not suited to the recipe, and they cannot be rolled to the correct size. The stock base can--and should--be made in advance. But do not finish the sauce until the beef Wellington is in the oven.
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