Wine and food pairing: Beef Wellington and Pomerol

Beef Wellington. It's been on my list to make for a while. It looks extra festive on the table; like cutting open a present. I just hope it turns out well and the meat comes out nice and pink. Follow the recipe, don't get distracted, and set a triple timer on the oven, your phone, and the kitchen timer. Time is everything. You know: recipes on the Club are never difficult, and this one isn't either. Good luck!

Confusing story

The dish's origins remain a mystery. Beef Wellington is named after the first Duke of Wellington. We think so. The Dutch Wiki says so, the English one says no. The recipe suddenly surfaced in America in the 1940s without ever appearing in a British or French cookbook of the time. So, the question remains as to its true origins.

The recipe comes in many variations. For this one, I used the recipe from Jamie Magazine I used it as a base, but added a few slices of Parma ham. You could easily leave that out. It makes the dish a bit saltier, which I liked. It's a recipe that's open to experimentation.

Beef Wellington is sometimes made with foie gras (goose liver). Although it's incredibly delicious, I've decided not to use it in this recipe. If you do want to try it, serve it plain and with a glass of the best Sauternes you can afford. I don't think it's necessary in this recipe. I read here that chicken livers are just as delicious, so that's worth trying next time; see this version of Beef Wellington with Madeira sauce. Yum, I'll have to try that sometime!

Ingredients for 2 persons

This recipe comes from Jamie Magazine , but I have adjusted it here and there to suit my own taste.

• 275 grams of tenderloin
• olive oil
• butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 slices of Parma ham
• 1 shallot
• a few leaves from a sprig of thyme
• 100 g wild mushrooms, finely chopped
• dash of red wine
• flower
• 1 package of puff pastry (TIP: I used fresh puff pastry from AH)
• 1 egg, beaten

You can also serve it with baked potatoes and chicory with cheese (and Parma ham) from the oven.

Step-by-step plan

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Rub the tenderloin with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Melt half the butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides, then remove and let cool. This should only take 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a pan. Add the garlic, onion rings, and thyme. Cook until the onion rings are golden brown and soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Add the wine and reduce until a thick mushroom mixture forms. You can add a teaspoon of flour to thicken the mixture, if desired.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it's large enough to enclose the tenderloin. If you buy fresh puff pastry, it's already quite large, making it much easier! Cover it with 3-4 slices of Parma ham.

Spread the mushroom mixture over it, place the meat on top and brush the edges with some egg.

Fold the dough around the meat to form a parcel. Make sure there's no air between the dough and crimp the edges tightly. Use any cut-off pieces of dough for decoration. Brush the parcel all around with egg. Now refrigerate it for 30 minutes (I didn't, but maybe that makes it firmer?).

Place the parcel on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and crispy and the meat is cooked to your liking. 20–25 minutes for medium-rare, 30 minutes for medium (the meat should still be pink in the center). Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut into thick slices and serve.

Wine and food

A beautiful bottle had been gathering dust in my cellar for a while. Something had to be done with it. It was a Chateau de Sales Pomerol 2008. That was actually the starting point of my cooking adventure. What goes well with Pomerol? Meat, I thought, and then Beef Wellington quickly came along...

Pomerol is a small appellation in Bordeaux. Unlike the other side of Bordeaux, the Médoc, Merlot rules the roost here. The most famous wine from Pomerol is Chateau Pétrus and you can get it for around 3300 euros ( interested ?).

I sniff my glass and think back to my wine course. What I smell here is unmistakably leather and tobacco. A little too much, even. Or maybe you just love it. From my wine course, I wander further to my new leather jacket. It smells the same. Great aromas. Different from the slobber on Wednesday. I also smell dark fruit: cassis, blackberries, plums. The wine itself might not be my first choice, but with the Beef Wellington, it's truly delicious. The robust (tannins!) and earthy character of the wine pairs beautifully with the juicy meat and the mushroom mixture. Score!

PS: For fun, check out the website From Chateau de Sales. Deliciously French. They really are the best, you know.