I've had Beef Wellington at some very pricey restaurants and it's always such a disappointment. Sometimes simple is the way to go. A lovely roasted beef tenderloin with a good sauce is hard to beat.

YEARS ago... i was maybe 20 years old and home from college. Dad was avid watcher of PBS cooking shows, especially Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. when he cooked beef wellington, dad decided that would be Sunday dinner. i was totally comfortable in kitchen. how hard can it be... BIG $$ hunka tenderloin, wrapped in pastry crust. it looked gorgeous going into oven... i even made fancy leaf cut-outs from scraps of home-made dough. it looked AB FAB coming out of the oven... like something outta Bon Appetite magazine. problem came when carving... dad couldn't cut thru the crust!! we came close to needing hammer & chisel.

i can't remember time or temp but LUCKILY the meat was a perfect medium rare... whew!!

Thank you! Lindsay, we don't eat pate. I do understand that that is traditional, but could I either leave it out or substitute something in its place?

If you have access to Dufour puff pastry from NYC, by all means use that instead of PF. Dufour is made with all butter - it makes a huge difference in the dishes I use it in.

Whole Foods carries the brand nationally.

Those looking for a special and festive beef dish should also consider a standing rib roast (aka prime rib). It's less work than Beef Wellington and with the bones attached, perhaps more beefy and flavorful than a boneless loin.

Is beef tenderloin what filet mignon comes from?

Material in quotes copied/pasted from Wikipedia:

"Filet mignon ..... is a steak cut of beef taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin"

"The tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef and is also arguably the most desirable and therefore the most expensive. The average steer or heifer provides no more than 500 grams of filet mignon. Because the muscle is not weight-bearing, it contains less connective tissue, which makes it tender. However, it is generally not as flavorful as some other cuts of beef (example, primal rib cuts), and is often wrapped in bacon to enhance flavor, and/or is served with a sauce."

For my taste, filet mignon is usually very tender but not all that tasty. Ditto for dishes made from any tenderloin cut generally, both beef and pork. I find pork tenderloin particularly bland, there's little fat and no bone (two items that contribute to flavor. With poultry, those two plus skin, even if removed before eating).

Steaks cut from tenderloin are filet mignon.

Elmer and Ali...Thank You.

Elmer thank you for the detailed information.

I also find pork tenderloin very bland but so tender. I don't use a crockpot very often but I have a recipe somewhere here for pork tenderloin cooked in the crock pot that is delicious, of course I make a sauce that I cook it in otherwise it would be tasteless, almost.

Yes, filet mignon steaks are cut from a beef tenderloin.

Suzique - I've never made it without the paté, so I have no idea what to substitute. There isn't very much paté in the total recipe, and you aren't going to take a bite and say, "goodness, there's paté in there!" So, you might not notice if it isn't there.

Elmer, I double-dog dare you to make Beef Wellington using my recipe and then say it isn't delicious. You won't be able to make that statement.

Alton Browns Recipe uses foie gras instead of Pate. I have eaten it with prosciutto and with bacon substituted for the pate.

I agree, beef tenderloin is a very mild tasting meat. But, the purpose of a Wellington is to add flavor. I like a sauce accompaniment.

Elmer, growing up, our family liked the prime rib roast and we always made Yorkshire pudding to go with it. It was our favorite meal which we fleshed out with potatoes, gravy and vegetables. Nowadays, it is so hard to find good, large prime rib roasts for a huge family gathering. Do plan to take a mortgage on the house too if you are going to purchase a prime rib roast.

That's Gordon Ramsay's signature dish. Google his recipe!

Thanks to everyone for your responses. Since I asked specifically about Beef Wellington recipes, those responses are especially appreciated, but I thank everyone for your time responding.

Love Beef Wellington, but prefer to have it at a restaurant.

"Alton Browns Recipe uses foie gras instead of Pate."

Foie gras is paté made from the force-fattened liver of ducks or geese.

Lindsey, foie gras and pate are not the same thing. Foie gras is a special kind of duck liver and is just the liver itself, not a concoction using it as an ingredient. There are dozens and maybe hundreds of different types of pâtés. Whether it's pâté de foie or pâté de foie gras or a different type of liver pate, the liver meat is to a pâté what beef is to a meat loaf - an ingredient but not the only one. I love foie gras and enjoy it when I find it well prepared and less than an arm and a leg's price, I love pâtés of all types too.

I'm not a Beef Wellington fan but I'm glad you are happy with the preparation you make and that it's a family tradition.

sheilajoyce, I've purchased standing rib roasts at Costco a few times and I found them to be very good in quality but even there, they weren't cheap or even reasonable in price. It's been a few years and I don't know if they still sell them. For a "huge" family dinner, I wouldn't do a standing rib roast, too many at least in mine who wouldn't appreciate the treat for what it is. For friends or my immediate family, yes.

I misspoke. It is foie gras that we don’t eat, not pate. Thanks.