Easy Beef Wellington Recipe

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Make Christmas dinner an elegant and unforgettable affair with Beef Wellington.

Photo by Fotolia/Monkey Business

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8 servings SERVINGS

Directions

• Heat oven to 425 F.
• Rinse the tenderloin with cold water; pat dry. Trim any excess fat or connective tissue. Place tenderloin on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of the tenderloin. Roast for 45 minutes, or until thermometer registers 130 F. Remove beef from oven; remove from pan and place on a platter. Reserve the drippings. Cover tenderloin with aluminum foil and refrigerate while preparing the pastry.
• Grease a baking sheet with lard and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour with salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until moist.
• Gather the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Evenly spread paté over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Center the tenderloin on the pastry and wrap the dough around the meat. Trim any excess pastry; pinch wrapped pastry to seal. Brush pastry with beaten egg. Place the meat roll, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet. (Note: If desired, roll out remaining pastry scraps, cut into decorative shapes and place on meat roll; pinch into place, and brush with beaten egg.)
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and flaky. While baking, cover with foil to prevent overbrowning, if necessary.
• While the meat roll is cooking, prepare gravy, if desired, by transferring the reserved drippings to a small saucepan and stirring in 1 1/2 cups cold water and beef bouillon granules. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is blended and bouillon has dissolved.
• In a bowl, whisk together remaining 1/2 cup cold water with remaining 1/4 cup flour; add and stir into bouillon mixture. Add wine and basil, and cook, whisking constantly, until gravy is thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour gravy into a serving bowl.
• When the meat roll is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Cut into 8 slices. Serve alongside gravy so guests can serve themselves.Looking for more out-of-the-ordinary Christmas recipes? Try some of our other Non-Traditional Holiday Recipes.