Individual Beef Wellingtons
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Look no further for your next decadent dinner idea! My Individual Beef Wellington recipe features beef tenderloin, caramelized onions, rosemary butter, and bleu cheese all wrapped up in a buttery puff pastry package.
Whether it is graduation day, Father’s Day, or simply Friday, this recipe is a great way to impress your friends and family. There is something about everyone getting their own individual Beef Wellington that makes this recipe extra special. Plus it means everyone gets more of that flaky pastry goodness!
Serve it up with a nice crisp salad such as Thunderbird Salad or your favorite vegetable. I personally love this dish with blanched asparagus.
This recipe definitely has a lot of steps and prep, but don’t let that intimidate you. You can assemble and freeze your Wellingtons up to 5 days ahead of time. No stress required! See the video below on how to make this.
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Butter – Enhances flavor and forms the base for compound butter.
- Gorgonzola – Adds a rich creamy flavor. Goat cheese would be a good substitute.
- Rosemary – This aromatic herb is key to a great compound butter.
- Beef Tenderloin Filets – Choose this cut for the most tender and juicy results possible.
- Bacon Fat – This fat is stable at high temperatures and adds an incomparable richness of flavor to any dish.
- Salt – Kosher salt is my go-to, but any high quality salt will do. Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt are also great options.
- Pepper – Choose freshly cracked peppercorns for ultimate flavor.
- Onion – Caramelized onions add a sweet, umami flavor that is unmatched. I can’t get enough.
- Puff Pastry Sheets – Flaky, buttery goodness to wrap everything in. Thaw before starting this recipe.
- Eggs – The egg wash gives each individual Beef Wellington that lovely golden color and shine.
HOW TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL BEEF WELLINGTON
1. Make Compound Butter. Mix together room temperature butter, Gorgonzola crumbles, and chopped rosemary in a bowl. Fold the mixture onto plastic wrap or wax paper, then use it to work butter into a cylinder shape. Twist the ends and place in the refrigerator to firm.
2. Prepare Filets. Trim any excess fat from your filets (tie with twine if needed) and season with salt and pepper. Add bacon fat, olive oil, or butter to a heated pan. Sear filets for 2 minutes per side to brown and caramelize the outside while sealing in the juices. Set the meat aside to rest and cool.
3. Caramelize The Onions. Turn heat down to low, then add sliced onions and 2 tablespoons of butter to the same pan. Stirring often, allow onions to gently caramelize for about 45 minutes. Set aside.
4. Prepare For Assembly. Bring the puff pastry dough to room temperature. Cut two ¼-inch thick slice of the compound butter to each of your filets. Line a tray that will fit in your freezer with parchment paper. Roll the pastry dough into a rectangle and slice to make even squares.
5. Assemble Wellingtons. In the center of each dough square, place 2 slices of compound butter, ¼ of the caramelized onions, and a seared filet. Remove any twine from filets.
6. Wrap Wellingtons. Gently fold the dough around each stack of ingredients. Smooth as much as possible, trimming any excess. Place each pastry seam down on the tray and brush with egg wash. Place the tray in the freezer and wait one hour before covering with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.
7. Bake. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a heavy rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Transfer the frozen Wellingtons (do not thaw) to the baking pan and give each a fresh coat of egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and cook for an additional 30-35 minutes. Once cooked to your liking (rosy filet, 120°F, for medium rare, 130°F), remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Serve immediately after cutting each Wellington in half. Enjoy!
What Temperature Should Beef Wellington Reach?
I recommend using a meat thermometer to get your individual Beef Wellington just the way you like it. For a moist, rosy filet, aim for an internal temperature of 120 degrees F. If medium rare is more to your liking, shoot for 130 degrees F.
What To Serve With Beef Wellington?
This rich and decadent dish pairs beautifully with a fresh, crisp side dish such as Thunderbird Salad or this Flat Wedge Salad. Truth be told, both of these fresh salads are still quite decadent and are perfect if you are a huge fan of blue cheese like me. If not, try your favorite green vegetable dish instead.
What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For Beef Wellington?
Since we are going for the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth experience with this recipe, I recommend choosing the highest quality meat available. Beef tenderloin filets (about 2 inches thick) are perfect for this recipe. They are lean, juicy, and will bring your Wellingtons to the next level!
This recipe post, originally published on Kevin Is Cooking October, 2014, and was updated with new content, photos and/or video in October, 2022.
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Individual Beef Wellingtons
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (softened)
- 4 oz Gorgonzola crumbles
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (leaves chopped)
- 3 lbs beef tenderloin filets (4 filet – 2 inches thick)
- 3 tbsp bacon fat (or olive oil, or butter)
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 yellow onion (large, thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 2 eggs beaten (separated)
- 2 tsp of water separated
Instructions
Compound Butter
- Let butter come to room temperature and place in a bowl with the Gorgonzola crumbles.
- Chop the rosemary and mix in with butter and Gorgonzola cheese. With a spatula incorporate all the ingredients and fold onto a sheet of wax paper. Roll the butter mixture into a cylindrical shape working with the wax paper. Twist the edges and refrigerate until firm.
Wellingtons
- Trim the fat off the filet and use kitchen twine to tie in a circle to hold it’s shape if needed. Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sear both sides to seal in juices quickly in a hot pan with bacon fat, olive oil or butter (about 2 minutes a side). You want the outside caramelized and browned (not grey, that means your pan is not hot enough) and the inside pink. Allow meat to rest and cool.
- In the same pan add the sliced onions and 2 tablespoons of butter and slowly brown and caramelize. This takes about 45 minutes on low. Do not burn and stir often. Set aside and cool.
- Allow puff pastry sheets to come to room temperature.
- Remove compound butter from refrigerator, unroll from plastic wrap and slice two 1/4 inch rounds per filet. Roll up and refrigerate the remaining compound butter.
Assembly
- Assemble with puff pastry sheets rolled in a rectangle. Slice in half to make 2 squares. In the center of each sheet top with 2 slices of the bleu cheese rosemary compound butter, a quarter of the caramelized onions, then the seared filet. BE SURE TO CUT AND REMOVE THE KITCHEN TWINE if you've tied your filet.
- Gently fold the puff pastry up and around the Wellington stack of ingredients, trimming the excess and keeping things as smooth as possible. Set each one seam side down on a tray lined with parchment paper that will fit in your freezer easily. Put any cut out puff pastry decorations on top and brush with egg wash and repeat the entire process with other filet.
- Place the dish with the Wellingtons in the freezer and after 1 hour cover with plastic wrap and continue to freeze for 4 hours or up to five days. (See Note 1)
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the other egg in a small bowl and set aside. Remove the Wellingtons from the freezer (do not thaw) and brush each with a fresh coat of egg wash. Put them on a lightly greased heavy rimmed baking sheet OR with a Silpat silicone sheet OR parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake another 30 to 35 minutes. Using a meat thermometer – the internal temperature should be 120°F for a rosy, moist filet and 130°F for medium rare. Remove from oven, set aside and rest for 10 minutes. Cut each Wellington in half, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- This is one of those recipes with a lot of steps and prep, so it’s great for making ahead of time and then when ready, bring it out and cook it.
The freezing assists in keeping the center of these from getting well done since these are individually cut.
You do not have to freeze, but it’s recommended. If you go ahead and cook right away, just be sure the internal temperature should be 120°F for a rosy, moist filet and 130°F for medium rare.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin,
I will be making these for Christmas Eve dinner and can’t tell from the pictures if you have some of the caramelized onion on both top and bottom of the meat? Looking forward to making these!
Thank you!
Hi Kate and thanks for stopping by my site. I know you will really enjoy this one. As for your question I did have the caramelized onions on both top and bottom.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Hello! I’m curious about this too. When you answered this 4 years ago, it looks like you did include onions below the filet (the top during assembly), but the directions now do not include onions on the bottom, only on the top with the compound butter. Also, you said in one place you use 1 to 1.5″ filets, but in the ingredients, you say 2″ filets. Can you please clarify? I’m making this for my wife and I for our “alternate” Thanksgiving due to COVID. Thanks.
Dee, this recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking back in 2014 and has been updated with a video to show how it’s put together. The recipe as written should be followed as directed and I used 2 inch thick filets. I keep the caramelized onions on the top of each filet. I may have to make these again this weekend, thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for the reply. I just found your channel. I also don’t like mushrooms (but LOVE onions) so it was a delight to find your recipe. I’m also going to make the scalloped potatoes to go with the Beef Wellingtons. Thanks!
Hi Kevin,
I made the Wellingtons last night (we’re cooking them soon),but I have another question. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter to make the compound butter for 4 servings. But in the youtube video, it appears you are using 1/4 cup of butter (1/2 stick) for the same 4-serving recipe. I used 1/2 cup of butter (full stick), mixed with 5oz of Boursin and it made about twice as much as shown in your video. So why is there this difference between the video and the ingredients? Finally, I used the largest onion I could find, but after carmelizing, I was left with only 22 grams of onions per filet which isn’t very much. I would have liked a little more onion on top. I’d suggest carmelizing two onions and having some left over, instead of being short. Thanks again.
Did you use Gorgonzola or Bleu Cheese? Can this be frozen for 2 weeks?
Hi Cathy!
I indeed did use Gorgonzola. Bleu cheese is a category of cheeses that contain mold Penicillium. Gorgonzola is a specific type of bleu cheese, produced in Northern Italy.
Also, Roquefort is another kind of blue cheese. Roquefort is a French sheep’s milk cheese and Gorgonzola is Italian and made from cow’s milk. Roquefort has a sharper flavor, but is not as strongly flavored as robust and aromatic Gorgonzola.
As for the 2 weeks freeze time question, I have never waited that long! If so, I would definitely wrap in plastic wrap them aluminum foil to seal completely.
Please let me know how this turns out for you and Happy Holidays!
Trying this to get and despite all the warnings…I forgot to remove the string. They are in the oven now. I know the presentation will suffer, but we can still eat them right?
Oh of course! I did it once myself, hence I made a note to disclaimer. They are still going to knock your socks off! 🙂 Enjoy.
If I freeze these several days before Thanksgiving and then cook with your directions… The meat will thaw and be hot?
Hello Karen, was away at a food blogger convention and just saw this. Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, all should be fine. As I stated in the instructions “Heat the oven to 400°F. Make another egg wash. Remove the Wellingtons from the freezer (do not thaw) and brush each with a fresh coat of egg wash. Put them on a lightly greased heavy rimmed baking sheet OR with a Silpat silicone sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake another 35 to 40 minutes. The internal temperature should be 110° F.” That should do it. I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful holiday.
Hi! Is it required that you freeze the wellingtons for 5 hours before baking?
Hi Nicole and thanks for stopping by the site. To answer your question, no you do not. The oven and time will change though so follow this: set oven to 425° F and bake until the pastry is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 140° F for medium-rare, about 20 minutes.
Any suggestions on adjusting cooking time or temp for this if I’m making more than 2? This recipe looks divine and I’m really looking forward to it, but I’m having 5 for a dinner party and am worried they won’t be done properly 🙂
Thank you!
Laura
Hi Laura and thanks for visiting the site. I really don’t think there should be any concern about the number or temperature.
If you want to make sure, insert a meat thermometer and see if the internal temp is:
Rare – 125°F – 52°C
Medium Rare – 135°F – 57°C
Medium – 145°F – 63°C
Medium Well – 158°F – 68°C
Please come back and let me know how it turns out.
I made these for my husband and myself tonight for Valentine’s day and they were Amazing! I always thought it would be too complicated but this was easy and I loved that it was made ahead. I used the blue cheese butter for mine, my husband doesn’t like blue cheese so I made him a garlic, rosemary, and parsley butter. Then made fingerling potatoes with the same butter Amazing definitely a new special occasion dinner.
Thanks for the kind words Brittany, so glad you guys had a memorable dinner. I love those individual Wellingtons and the flavors are wonderful. You inspired me to make those potatoes tonight myself!
This was my first time making Beef Wellington, and it will not be my last, thanks to Kevin……
It was a great dinner!!!!
I’m so glad to hear you made it and it was a great dinner Rosetta! This is going to be a great 2015!
Is there a difference between Australian been and american beef
Rosetta – Thanks for stopping by the site.
I am sure there is a definite difference in flavor as Australian is mostly grass fed while US is both grass and feed/grains I believe.
Although the cut should be the same and work just fine. I hope this helps, or I am sure you can search the internet for more information.
Thanks again and have a safe and Happy New Year!
Worth every second, these look incredible Kevin!
Thanks Matt, worth every second indeed. Went for a 14 mile bike ride the next morning out of guilt!