Vegan Beef Wellington

Jon & I have really been into the show “Master Chef Junior”. The talent of those young kids is ridiculous! Along with being amazed at their skill, some of the challenges have also been inspiring. In one of the early episodes, the contestants had to take on Gordon Ramsey’s specialty, the Beef Wellington. They fared pretty well – their dish looked amazing – and I got to thinking it’d be a fun dish to create at home.

Now, usually there are recipes for Vegan _____ all over the internet. I was pretty surprised when the few recipes I could find just involved sticking a Field Roast into a puff pastry. A Beef Wellington has so many more layers of flavor than that! So I decided to come up with a recipe on my own eek!

I've never had actual Beef Wellington, but the omnivore in the household seems to like my creation. I thought the Wild Mushroom quarter loaf from Field Roast would play well with the rest of the flavors in the dish. I also made mushroom gravy to top off everything, but you could do a simple turkey-style gravy as well. I can’t say that this tastes exactly like Beef Wellington, but I can tell you the leftovers don’t last long at our house!

Ingredients
1 Wild Mushroom Field Roast Quarter Loaf
1 Sheet Aussie Bakery Puff Pastry
4 slices Peppered Tofurkey Slices
1 recipe Mushroom Duxelle (recipe below)
Mustard (for brushing)
Non-dairy milk (for brushing – I used almond)

This is a time-intensive recipe, but there are a few things you can do to cut down on the time, like making the mushroom duxelle ahead of time and leaving the puff pastry out to thaw while you catch up on your episodes of Scandal :)

Pre-heat your oven to 375 & make sure your puff pastry is thawed or is thawing. Pan-sear the quarter loaf in a thin layer of oil. While warm, brush with a layer of mustard and set aside.

Prepare the mushroom duxelle: Sauté 1/2c onions in oil until translucent. Add 1 tsp of minced garlic and 8oz of mushrooms. I prefer a mix of cremini and portabella. After the mushrooms have released their juices (about 5 minutes) add 1/4c red cooking wine. Continue to simmer for an additional 3-4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until the mixture becomes smooth. You should now have what looks like a mushroom paste. Transfer the past back to your sauté pan and cook the paste for 5-7 minutes until it has reduced. This may seem like a silly step, but it will cook off the extra moisture and prevent your Wellington from getting soggy during baking! Set the duxelle aside to cool.

Roll out the puff pastry into a thin layer. I usually use about 2/3 of the sheet (and make mini cinnamon rolls with the remaining sheet for dessert!). Layer first with the Tofurkey Slices and then the Mushroom Duxelle. Place the quarter loaf in the center and roll up tightly. Use non-dairy milk or water to seal the edges.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown. While the Wellington is baking is a great time to make your gravy.

Slice and serve with your choice of side – we’ve done mash potatoes, cheesy potatoes, as well as a hearty side of greens!

I did my best to explain my method, but I referenced this site a lot while I was making this for the first time. Great explanation of the technique!