Yeah Ramsay's shows all suck. It pains me to think that anyone thinks that that's what working in a kitchen is actually like. Ramsay is just another TV personality these days and he spends almost zero time in his kitchens. That said, he's a tremendous cook and chef, and he has some very talented people working in his restaurant group. But what you see on "reality" T.V. is anything but.
Wellington isn't hard, it's just time and ingredient intensive. Here's a basic rundown:
You need to make what's called a mushroom "duxelle". This is simply mushrooms that are very very finely chopped with some shallots and cooked down to a paste. You can run a bunch of mushrooms through a food processor with a shallot, put it in a pan, and slowly cook it down with a sprig of thyme, knob of butter, and splash of white wine until it's a reduced paste. Set aside.
Season an 8 ounce center cut filet mignon with salt and pepper and pan roast over high heat to get a very dark exterior. Cook in the oven for about 4-5 minutes to bring it up to a rare temperature inside. Cool completely in a fridge.
Slice a couple medallions of foie gras approximately 1 inch thick, season them, and set aside.
Shave about 12 shavings of fresh black truffle. (If anyone's genuinely interested in truffles I can open up a data sheet on them. Black truffle season starts late Dec/early Jan and lasts about 3-4 months)
Cut a square of puff pastry so that there's about 4" of overhang on either side of the cooled filet. You assemble it "upside down", meaning put the black truffles down first, then the foie gras, then a thick layer of mushroom duxelle, then the filet. Pull up the sides of the puff pastry to wrap the package, seal the seams and press together, and flip over. Brush with egg wash, you can cut some little design in the pastry, and cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
You'll want a good red wine sauce for this. Reduce about a cup of good red wine in a pan with some shallots and whole peppercorns. When it's reduced down to a glaze, add about a cup of rich veal stock or demi glace and reduce it down to a coating sauce consistency. Swirl in a small knob of cold butter at the very end before pouring the sauce on the plate, and the beef wellington on top.
Wellington isn't hard, it's just time and ingredient intensive. Here's a basic rundown:
You need to make what's called a mushroom "duxelle". This is simply mushrooms that are very very finely chopped with some shallots and cooked down to a paste. You can run a bunch of mushrooms through a food processor with a shallot, put it in a pan, and slowly cook it down with a sprig of thyme, knob of butter, and splash of white wine until it's a reduced paste. Set aside.
Season an 8 ounce center cut filet mignon with salt and pepper and pan roast over high heat to get a very dark exterior. Cook in the oven for about 4-5 minutes to bring it up to a rare temperature inside. Cool completely in a fridge.
Slice a couple medallions of foie gras approximately 1 inch thick, season them, and set aside.
Shave about 12 shavings of fresh black truffle. (If anyone's genuinely interested in truffles I can open up a data sheet on them. Black truffle season starts late Dec/early Jan and lasts about 3-4 months)
Cut a square of puff pastry so that there's about 4" of overhang on either side of the cooled filet. You assemble it "upside down", meaning put the black truffles down first, then the foie gras, then a thick layer of mushroom duxelle, then the filet. Pull up the sides of the puff pastry to wrap the package, seal the seams and press together, and flip over. Brush with egg wash, you can cut some little design in the pastry, and cook at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
You'll want a good red wine sauce for this. Reduce about a cup of good red wine in a pan with some shallots and whole peppercorns. When it's reduced down to a glaze, add about a cup of rich veal stock or demi glace and reduce it down to a coating sauce consistency. Swirl in a small knob of cold butter at the very end before pouring the sauce on the plate, and the beef wellington on top.