Individual filo Wellingtons filled with either beef or venison, wrapped in parma ham and pate then encased in crisp buttery layers of filo pastry. These are a great dinner party recipe!
A few years ago I made beef wellington for the first time and loved it. It's the perfect meal for a special day as it looks as well as tastes great and who doesn't want to impress their guests?
Can you make Wellingtons with filo dough?
This time I decided to make individual wellingtons and to make them a little lighter I used filo pastry rather than shortcrust or puff. If you're looking for an alternative to turkey for Christmas dinner then these individual filo wellingtons would be just the thing.
Wellingtons are normally made with beef but as Christmas is coming and it was a special day, I went for venison, although I had to make a beef one for my husband! That's the great thing about individual Wellingtons. Not everyone has to have the same filling!
What is inside these individual Wellingtons?
I'll let you choose whether you make these with beef or venison! The beef and venison steaks are wrapped in crisp filo pastry, parma ham and a layer of chicken and mushroom pâté. They are easy to put together but certainly don't lack anything in flavour.
The pastry is deliciously crispy and the pâté adds extra richness to the meat and the sauce. I experimented by making a red wine jus and actually going to the effort of reducing the sauce properly. It was worth it.
How to make sure the Wellingtons are crispy on the outside and moist inside?
Wrapping the meat in the parma ham spread with pate helps to keep the steak moist as it cooks. Making sure you don't skimp on the butter helps to ensure that the filo pastry goes crispy and golden brown.
Remember, these individual Wellingtons are a treat not an everyday meal so if you need more butter to brush on the pastry, melt some! Each layer of filo dough needs to be brushed with butter otherwise the pastry will be dry and tough.
Can you reheat them?
If you have any leftovers it is possible to reheat them. Just put them in the oven at 160 for 10 minutes. You can keep the cooked beef wellington in the fridge for up to three days.
You may find the meat is a little dryer when reheated but they'll still be delicious and the pastry will crisp up again beautifully.
The perfect wine to go with these individual filo Wellingtons
Although I could have used any wine for the jus, I wanted it to be worthy of the Wellingtons and so I used Astelia Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favourite reds. It's perfect with red meat and rich hearty dishes, such as these individual wellingtons.
Astelia Cabernet Sauvignon is a Pays d'Oc certified wine with rounded tanins along with mocha and forest fruit aromas. Luckily I had two bottles and only needed a little for the sauce. The wellingtons are very rich and the French red wine was perfect both for the sauce and for drinking with the meal.
More recipes you might like
If you love roast dinners then why not try my garlic roast chicken in a bag?
Recipe
Individual Filo Wellingtons
Ingredients
- 800 g venison steaks (4 steaks x 200g each) or substitute for beef fillet steak
- 6 sheets of filo pastry
- 60 g butter
- 8 slices parma ham
- 100 g pâté I used chicken forestier
For the Red Wine Jus
- ½ onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 250 ml red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 500 ml beef stock you could use venison stock if you have it
- 25 g butter
- Black pepper
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the venison for about 30 seconds on each side to seal in the juices. Leave to cool.
- Heat the butter until melted. Lay a piece of filo pastry on the work surface, using a pastry brush, brush it with the melted butter. Lay another piece on top and repeat with a third piece.
- Repeat with the other three sheets of filo. Using a sharp knife, cut each stack of filo sheets in half so you have 4 smaller filo rectangles.
- Lay 2 pieces of parma ham in the middle of each filo rectangle. Divide the pâté into 4 equal amounts and spread on top of the parma ham.
- Put a venison steak on top of each piece of parma ham and pâté and wrap the filo pastry around. Use a little more melted butter to stick the ends of the pastry together and tuck them underneath the filo parcel. Brush the top with melted butter.
- Bake in the oven at 180C for 25 minutes.
- Make the red wine jus while the wellingtons are cooking. Put a little oil in a saucepan and cook the onions and garlic gently for 10 minutes. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and red wine.
- Turn up the heat until the sauce has reduced by about half. Add the stock and continue to cook vigorously until it has reduced again by about half.
- Strain to remove the onion and herbs.
- Return to the pan and stir in the butter. Add extra seasoning if necessary.
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make these individual filo Wellingtons. I love to get feedback from readers.
Why not sign up to my weekly newsletter too? I’ll even send you a FREE printable.
You can also stay up to date by following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: This post is for a competition. I was sent two bottle of Astelia Cabernet Sauvignon and invited to create a twist on a traditional Christmas dish to serve alongside.
Leave a Reply