Mini Beef Wellington

This mini beef wellington recipe is a great starter to serve at a party or get together! Made into a two-bite tart, tender, juicy pieces of beef with Dijon, shallot, mushroom and bacon all topped with my signature creamy Dijon sauce and in a flaky puff pastry shell.

 

These not only look pretty, they are much easier than traditional beef wellington, which can be tricky at best, to keep the pastry crispy and beef tender. These mini wellington bites are so easy to make that my 5-year old daughter helps out (and loves to eat them).

To be clear, these are individual portions beef wellington appetizer bites, not individually wrapped slices of filet mignon. They could be serve as an entree, but are best as an hors d’oeuvre for special occasions.

Why You’ll Love Them

It took me several attempts at making a real wellington to really master the art of making a good mushroom duxelles, searing the beef, wrapping it all nice and tight and then of course, the hardest part, cooking the beef without sogging up the pastry. These take all of that guess work out.

• Easier– No rolling, wrapping or sogging possible!
• Sauce– Traditional wellingtons are sometimes served with a brown gravy type sauce or a creamy peppercorn sauce, but mine has a cooling and tangy mustard cream sauce. It not only looks pretty, but adds warmth.
• Cream Cheese– Yep, you heard me right. No cream cheese is used in the original making of wellington, but I liked the richness it added to these cups. Just a small dollop.
• Budget Friendly– A tenderloin can set you back a pretty penny, but this recipe uses a single steak and it can be a strip, flank or just bits from leftovers.
• Make-Ahead Friendly- While I wouldn’t pop them in the oven until you are about ready to serve, all of the other elements and the assembly can be done ahead of time.

What is Beef Wellington?

The history of beef wellington is quite debated, so I won’t even try to give you the rundown, we have enough to discuss on the technique side. What I do know is that is seems very French, the duxelle, foie gras and puff pastry, so I am going to refer to it as French food.

The most traditional of recipes include several elements: the beef tenderloin, of course, a layer of shallot spiked duxelle (mushroom paste), foie gras and puff pastry. Most include the flavors of thyme as well. In our version, we stuck to the mushrooms and puff pastry, but took our the foie gras.

And instead of prosciutto, which is what more modern recipes include. added crumbled bacon. It added texture and saltiness.

Wellingtons in the states are most commonly made with beef tenderloin, but throughout the world, this same technique is used to make salmon wellington, pork wellington, duck wellington and more.

Mini Beef Wellington Ingredients

These are generally something you make because you happen to have all the ingredients on hand, although they are all rather easy to procure. It will likely require a trip to the grocery store.

• Cooking spray or vegetable shortening– Used for greasing the muffin tins. I lean towards using a paper towel and greasing generously to prevent sticking. A few spritzes of cooking spray will also do the trick.
• Shallot– Shallot is from the onion family, but offer a muted onion flavor and subtly sweeter. Use a sweet onion, red onion or white onion too.
• White mushrooms- White mushrooms help keep this recipe in budget, but if you are going for an over-the-top version, grab some fancier ones like oyster, portobello or shiitake. Since they are so finely chopped and then sauteed, you won’t get the texture variations, but the earthy flavors will come through.
• Garlic– Complements the shallot and mushrooms.
• Unsalted butter- This recipes has a lot of opportunity for salt, like the bacon, beef seasoning and flaky salt, so using unsalted butter gives me more control. Olive oil can also be used.
• Fresh Thyme– Use the tender leaves only. I prefer fresh thyme, but dried can also be used, only at 1/2 teaspoon.
• Dijon Mustard- A true nod to French cuisine, it is used in both the duxelle and the cream sauce. I used a smooth mustard, but a whole grain will give it a unique texture and pop.
• Puff Pastry– Puff pastry and pie crusts are two things I prefer to buy pre-made. You’ll need 2 sheets.

• Cream Cheese– The least traditional of ingredients can be omitted or swapped for mascarpone or even brie. It isn’t totally necessary for it to be softened, it just makes it easier to spoon out into the wells.
• Beef- use a lean cut so you don’t have any chewy pieces. Cut your cubes against the grain to make them super easy to eat. Tenderloin or NY strip are my top picks. I do like to cook it a little more to the rare side since it will bake again in the oven, so an internal temperature around 125°F. You can use leftovers too, like from my bacon wrapped filet mignon.
• Bacon– Instead of prosciutto, I used crispy bacon. Chop it fairly fine so you get a salty crunch in every bite.
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt- The tangy base of the sauce, either of these will work. Opt for Greek yogurt since it is strained more and thus, less watery.
• Garnish– I like to top mine with freshly chopped parsley, fresh ground black pepper and a flaky sea salt like Maldon or Jacobson.

How to Make Mini Beef Wellingtons

Making these little beefy cups is easy- so easy that my 5-year old can do it and actually initially made them when she was only 3 and helping me recipe for my cookbook. The steps are broken into 3 stages: beef cups, sauce and garnish.

1. Prep. Preheat the oven and grease 2 muffin tins with vegetable shortening or cooking spray. I really prefer vegetable shortening for the ease of popping these out and it doesn’t create the film that some cooking sprays leave. Don’t use butter, this recipe is baked right at its smoke point and you’ll risk burning the pastry.
2. Make Duxelle. In a small food processor, pulse the shallot, mushrooms and garlic until finely minced and a paste forms. If you don’t have a mini food processor, I highly suggest buying one, but you can also finely mince by hand. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium or large skillet, add the shallot mixture and saute until fragrant and dry. This is the duxelle mixture and you want to sweat out most of the liquid so it doesn’t make the pastry soggy, so spread it out into a single layer and press out excess liquid.

3. Cut Puff Pastry. Unroll the thawed sheet of puff pastry onto a cutting board or clean work surface, cut each pieces into nine equal 3×3 inch squares using a sharp knife. Press each square into the a muffin well, letting the corners flop over the side.
4. Assemble. Equally divide the cream cheese between each cup, then the mushroom mixture, beef chunks and finally the bacon crumbles.

5. Cook. Bake until the puff pastry edges are golden brown.
6. Make Sauce. While the wellingtons are cooking, stir together the sour cream or plain yogurt and mustard.

7. Garnish. Top each cup approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of mustard cream sauce. Finish by sprinkling with flakey sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley.
8. Serve. Serve hot or even room temperature.

What to Serve with a Beef Wellington Appetizer

Since this is an app and not the main dish, you’ll want to pair it with a few other appetizers, preferably not beef appetizers. Here are a few good ideas. I enjoy mine with a nice glass of red wine.

You can also serve them as entree by serving 3 wellington bites with a large salad, like a Wedge Salad.

Commonly Asked Questions

Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing

Can I Make Mini Beef Wellington Ahead of Time?

Sure can! These are great to assemble ahead of time, up to 1 day, and then keep in the fridge until you are ready to bake. After being cooked, they are best served hot.

How to Store Mini Beef Wellington

Store leftovers in an airtight container or on a platter covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven in a muffin tin for 5 minutes. Puff pastry doesn’t do well in the microwave.

Can you Freeze Mini Beef Wellington?

Unfortunately, these don’t freeze well before or after cooking. They are best enjoyed fresh.

Easy appetizer recipes

• Cuban Sliders
• Tomatillo Salsa Verde
• Grape Jelly Meatballs
• Ham and Cheese Sliders

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