Personal Venison Backstrap Wellingtons

Traditional beef Wellington is the epitome of elegance when it comes to dinner. This individual version made with venison backstrap is just as elegant as the large version, but easier to make thanks to frozen puff pastry from the grocery.

What is a Wellington? It’s seared meat, in this case seasoned and pan-seared backstrap, surrounded by finely chopped mushroom duxelles, thinly sliced salty prosciutto, and delicate puff pastry.

Frozen puff pastry makes these individual backstrap Wellingtons easy to prepare and serve.

To make the mushroom duxelles, you can chop the mushrooms into fine bits by hand, but the food processor is much faster and easier. Sauté the chopped mushrooms until they release their moisture and it cooks away, leaving an umami-filled mushroom paste. You can make the duxelles first and keep warm until you assemble the Wellingtons.

A food processor cuts down on the time required to finely dice the mushrooms.

Add the mushrooms, diced shallot, seasoning blend, and salt to the food processor. Pulse until the mushrooms are a fine and crumbly texture. Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts and starts to brown, add the processed mushrooms. Stir until the mushrooms soften and release their moisture, usually 10-15 minutes. As the liquid cooks away, add the white wine. Continue cooking until the wine cooks off. Move the duxelles off the heat to cool slightly.

Season the backstrap roast with salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Brown the seasoned backstrap for 1-2 minutes per side till it is nicely browned all around. Move the roast from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Sear the backstrap just long enough to brown the exterior.

Slice the rested backstrap into 4-5 individual steaks.

After resting, slice the backstrap into the desired number of steaks.

Lay two slices of prosciutto side by side and just slightly overlapping each other. Spread a thin layer of duxelles over the prosciutto.

Spread the duxelles over the prosciutto and top with a mustard-coated steak.

Spread a thin coat of Dijon mustard over the sliced blackstrap. Place a steak in the center of the prosciutto and wrap it around the meat. Next, working on a lightly floured surface, wrap the backstrap with two thin sheets of puff pastry.

Fold the prosciutto around the steak, then wrap in two layers of puff pastry.

Pinch the edges of the pastry together to fully encompass the meat. Place the Wellingtons on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Brush the tops with beaten egg wash.

Brush the tops with egg wash for nice browning.

Sprinkle with an additional pinch of coarse kosher salt, if desired. Place the baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 18-20 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and turned golden brown.

Bake until golden brown.