beef wellington
Noun: A dish consisting of a fillet of beef that is coated with a mixture (traditionally containing pâté and duxelles, which is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, onions, and herbs) and then wrapped in puff pastry before being baked.
"Beef Wellington" is a proper noun referring to a specific, classic dish. It is used as a singular, countable noun. It is typically served as a main course for special occasions or fine dining.
- The chef prepared an exquisite Beef Wellington for the holiday dinner.
- Cooking a perfect Beef Wellington requires precise timing to ensure the pastry is golden and the beef is rare.
- Beef Wellington is often considered a challenging dish for home cooks to master.
- The term is sometimes used metonymically to represent gourmet or luxurious cuisine.
- The menu moved beyond simple steaks to offerings like Beef Wellington.
- Wellington: An informal, shortened form sometimes used in culinary contexts (e.g., "salmon Wellington" for a fish-based variation).
- Filet en croûte: A French term that describes the general technique of cooking a fillet in pastry, of which Beef Wellington is a specific, famous example.
- Filet de bœuf en croûte (French term)
The definition emphasizes the key components: the beef tenderloin, the mushroom-based coating (or "paste"), and the puff pastry casing. The dish is named after Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington. There are no distinct phrasal verbs or idioms associated with this specific culinary term.
- rare-roasted beef tenderloin coated with mushroom paste in puff pastry