Individual Beef Wellingtons

This elegant staple of 1960s dinner parties derives its name from The Duke of Wellington, the nineteenth century English statesman and military officer. The name is not due to his gourmet tastes, however, but because the final dish is said to resemble the shiny dark military boots he wore. Beef Wellington traditionally is a 2 to 4 pound beef tenderloin topped with mushroom duxelles and foie gras pate, and then encased in puff pastry. We’ve simplified the preparation by instead wrapping individual beef filets. This recipe makes 4 servings, but it easily can be doubled or halved. The filets need to be cut about 1 1/2-inches thick to ensure that the meat doesn’t dry out or become overcooked while roasting in the oven. If the meat is cut thinner, reduce the oven cooking time appropriately. And if your filets are greater than six ounces, the puff pastry will need to be cut into a larger square in order to envelop the meat completely. If this is the case, you may need two sheets of puff pastry instead of the one called for here. Also, this cooking time plus resting time is for meat that’s served medium-rare. If you like your meat more done, increase the initial cooking time in the skillet by another minute or two, and monitor the doneness of the meat from the oven with an instant-read thermometer. Classic sauces, such as Marchand de Vin and Bearnaise, would be delicious accompaniments to these little Beef Wellingtons, as would creamed spinach or steamed asparagus or haricots verts.