Grant Crilly is the Executive Director and cofounder of ChefSteps. Grant is a classically trained chef and, prior to ChefSteps, he worked on the award-winning cookbook series Modernist Cuisine and cooked at various restaurants, including L’Astrance in Paris, Busaba in Mumbai, and Mistral Kitchen in Seattle.

Grant Crilly

This Ultimate Beef Wellington that Grant has created is, in his own words, “No-holds barred—epic.” It is level 11. Turn it up. Imagine a perfectly cooked tenderloin, wrapped in a layer of rich mushroom duxelles insulation, swathed in prosciutto, which is enrobed in a flaky pastry crust sturdy enough to stick to the rest of that deliciousness. This is the best kind of savory pie, made into a roll, so you can slice off thick pieces for serving. We decided to pre-cook the tenderloin before assembling and baking it. This ensures that the juices and drippings from the meat stay far away from the pastry. You want your Welly crisped to perfection. No one wants a soggy dinner. The most critical layer in the Wellington is the mushroom duxelles. Think about the mushrooms as the insulation of your house. Do not throw your mushrooms into the food processor and blitz them into a purée. You wouldn’t want to use wet sludge as the insulation of your house. You want a well-cooked duxelles with the mushroom as little studded pieces. This will allow diffused, gentle heat to move through that insulation to reach the meat.And for the pastry? You want a dough with higher hydration that can be worked more than the flaky, tender crust of American pie dough. Most recipes out there call for puff pastry, which is an option if you want to buy some from the store. However, if you want to make this all from scratch, then use our <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/buttery-flaky-all-purpose-pie-crust-pate-brisee">Pâte Brisée</a> to make your Beef Wellington. This is one of those intricate dishes that requires you to do all the work ahead of time. However, the fact that all the work is front-loaded allows you to enjoy the presentation and eating. Here at ChefSteps, though, making something like this isn’t just about impressing. Everything you will learn in making this dish will help make you a better cook. Give yourself a challenge. Take the time to make this Beef Wellington. You will feel so damned good when you put this on the table, knowing you worked through every step yourself.