Beef Wellington is a preparation of beef tenderloin coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crêpe to retain the moisture and prevent it making the pastry soggy.

A whole tenderloin may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or the tenderloin may be sliced into individual portions prior to wrapping and baking. Many spices may be added to enhance the flavour; some examples are curry, allspice, any grilling mix or ginger.

The origin of the name is unclear ^[1]. One theory is that beef Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington . Some have suggested this was due to his love of a dish of beef, truffles, mushrooms, Madeira wine, and pâté cooked in pastry, but there is no evidence to say for sure. Other accounts simply credit the name to a patriotic chef wanting to give an English name to a variation on the French filet de bœuf en croûte during a period when England was often at odds with France. Still another theory is that the dish is not named after the Duke himself, but rather that the finished joint was thought to resemble one of the brown shiny military boots which were named after him ^[2].

"Wellington" is sometimes informally used to describe other dishes in which meat is baked in a puff pastry; the most common variations are sausage Wellington and salmon Wellington.

[edit] Gallery

Beef Wellington from Harrods Food Halls, London, garnished with salmon roe on toast

Individually-wrapped beef Wellington, medium rare, served with asparagus

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Gordon Ramsay recipe from the F Word
• Practicallyedible.com
• How To Make Beef Wellington, Videojug