Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce – These individual Beef Wellingtons would be perfect for any Staying In-In dinner party, or for Christmas and New Year, as well as for an elegant picnic. Made with ready-made puff pastry, they are a breeze to make and yet look professional and intricate.

Staying In-In

with

Stoves

I LOVE the concept of “Staying In-In” which seems to be very popular right now; basically, it’s all about staying in, as in staying at home, with good food and wine, good friends and treasured family. The food is an essential part of “Staying In-In” as it forms the centre of a cosy, warm evening (or lunchtime) where the home cook can show off their skills, but in a special and very inclusive way. By sharing lovingly cooked food with your guests, there’s no need to venture out and your lucky diners can also stay the night for the ultimate “Staying In-In” experience. Today’s recipe for Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce makes a real celebratory “Staying In-In” meal for any dinner party or special family gathering. The recipe is a favourite in my house, and it’s often my “to go to” dinner party dish to make for friends and family.

As part of my ongoing collaboration with the brilliant British brand STOVES, I was sent a new STOVES Richmond 900DFT range cooker to play with. I opted for the classic cream colour, as it matches my newly fitted kitchen beautifully……more photos of my kitchen to follow when we’ve finished tiling it! I also chose the 90cm size which is big enough for me cook and bake with, with five gas burners on the hob-top and four electric ovens with proflex splitter, there’s a handy function for all my cooking and baking needs. And again, it fits in well with the size of my kitchen, which is the original old school kitchen in our home. (We live in an old schoolhouse in North Wales) I was really impressed with the quality of this British built range cooker – from its good looks and sturdy construction, to its amazing cooking and baking features, it looks and acts the part in every way.

Although the recipe is the perfect dish for anytime of the year, I always feel that as the months get cooler and we slide into autumn and winter, this would be amazing when served as a “Staying In-In” meal for family and friends; imagine tucking into these buttery, flaky and tender beef filled pastries, whilst sitting next a log fire, candles flickering and happy faces beaming around the table – what utter bliss and the whole concept of “Staying In-In”. I cooked and baked these whilst being filmed for a video recently at Longleat House. I usually cook with a gas hob, as in my lovely Stoves Richmond Range at home, but the Beef Wellingtons turned out just great using a Stoves induction hob and fan assisted oven, as you can see from my photos and the video below.

Images from Filming at Longleat House:

Longleat House

Mini Beef Wellingtons

Image: Rebecca Stainton

Last Saturday saw me making my recipe for Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce again, at home, and using my Stoves Richmond Range. We enjoyed them for a simple “aux deux” meal in the evening, alongside some steamed new potatoes and seasonal veggies, and, a glass of red wine too! One little tip when you make this recipe; try to use only the best beef fillet and if you cannot get hold of prosciutto ham, use streaky bacon or pancetta instead. I like to add a few dried mushrooms to the duxelles mixture sometimes, just drop them in half way through cooking for a wonderful essence of mushroom flavour. Duxelles can also include shallots, I have left them out in this recipe, as I think the mushrooms work best by themselves with prime beef fillet. A little historical note: Duxelles is said to have been created by the 17th-century French chef François Pierre La Varenne (1615–1678) and to have been named after his employer, Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d’Uxelles, maréchal de France.

My “Staying In-In” recipe for Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce is shared below, in a printable recipe format, and I have also shared some step-by-step photos of the recipe being made and cooked in and on my Stoves Richmond Range Cooker too. Do let me know if you make these little beef parcels, and if it was for your own “Staying In-In” evening or Sunday lunch. I’ll be back soon with more recipes, and food and travel stories, in the meantime, have a lovely week, Karen

Disclaimer – This is part of an ongoing paid partnership with STOVES. I received a STOVES Richmond Deluxe range cooker and a fee as part of my collaborative work with them

Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce

Print recipe

Mini Beef Wellingtons with Boozy Berry Sauce

Serves	4
Prep time	45 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hours, 15 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Wheat
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Freezable, Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen Burns-Booth

These individual Beef Wellingtons would be perfect for any Staying In-In dinner party, or for Christmas and New Year, as well as for an elegant picnic. Made with ready-made puff pastry, they are a breeze to make and yet look very professional and intricate.

Ingredients

1 large free-range egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water
Flour, for dusting
500g/1lb 2oz pack puff pastry, cut into 4 squares
8 slices prosciutto ham (or Parma, Bayonne ham)
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1 large sprig fresh thyme
50g butter
150g mushrooms (I used a mix of chestnut, morels, ceps and assorted wild mushrooms)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 x 80g fillet steak pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

1 x jar mixed berry preserve
6 tablespoons red wine

Note

Directions

Step 1	Place the beef fillets in a frying pan, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season well with freshly ground black pepper, then pan fry them to seal the juices and give them a bit of colour. Chill in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Step 2	While the beef is cooling, chop the mushrooms as finely as possible I used my food processor, but be careful, just pulse for a few seconds otherwise they will become purée.
Step 3	Heat the remaining olive oil with the butter in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms over a medium heat with the fresh thyme for about 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with a little salt and black pepper and then pour over the dry white wine and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until all the wine has been absorbed in the mushrooms.
Step 4	Cut the block of pastry into 4 pieces and roll each piece out; divide the mushrooms between each pastry square, then wrap 2 sliced of ham around each beef fillets, place the ham wrapped beef in the pastry squares and seal, crimping along the edges to make a parcel. Brush the beaten egg over each parcel to glaze.
Step 5	When you are ready to cook the Beef Wellingtons, preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Cook the Wellingtons until golden and crisp; 15 minutes for medium rare, 20 minutes for medium and 25 to 30 minutes for medium well. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving with seasonal vegetables and potatoes, and the mixed berry sauce on the side.
Step 6	To make the sauce, heat the preserve with the wine over a gentle heat until it has melted and is pourable.