Top 10 Recipes of 2016 (2024)

FAQs

Is beef wellington one of the hardest dishes to make? ›

Beef Wellington is a dish that is rated under the “top 10 hardest dishes to make”, at number 4. One of the hardest parts of this dish is cooking the meat correctly, and not over cooking it. Typically a beef wellington's tenderloin should be at a medium rare – which is not always an easy feat to achieve.

Consommé

Devilish dish: A clear soup made from meat, tomato, egg whites and stock, slowly simmered to bring impurities to the surface for skimming. Techn-eeek: Even some of the most experienced chefs cannot master the complex clarification process required to make consommé.

But on top of its tedious cooking process, beef Wellington is also expensive. The dish typically calls for beef tenderloin, the tender cut of beef that filet mignon comes from, in addition to pricey prosciutto. With these high-priced meats, beef Wellington isn't exactly budget-friendly.

Widely used as the metric of a chef's ability, consommé is one of the most challenging dishes to cook. Despite its light and small yield, traditional consommé requires a large amount of meat; which is why it was long associated with society's upper classes who could afford such extravagance!

Pizza has rightfully earned its place as the world's most beloved food. This Italian creation has become a staple in numerous countries, with endless variations to suit every taste bud. Whether you prefer thin crust or deep dish, classic Margherita, or loaded pepperoni, pizza has something for everyone.

But the truth is that chefs and cooks use recipes all the time, especially when making something new. They just don't use them the way most home cooks do, by starting at the top and simply following instructions until the dish is finished.

A product of classic French cuisine, consommé is a clarified broth made from either chicken, beef, or veal stock.

A clear, deep gold chicken ​consommé is delightful not only to look at, but tasting it is another story altogether: The flavor is divine. Consommé is a soup that is typically consumed on its own, at the start of a meal.

Can you eat beef consomme? ›

The liquid, not any of the solids, is the only component of the dish that's eaten. This recipe makes a delectable and silky bowl of succulent, clarified beef broth that can be enjoyed hot as a light supper or as a small serving during a cold winter afternoon.

Beef wellington is not an easy dish to prepare with perfection. For starters, getting the tenderloin steak right is a challenge in itself. It has to be tender on the inside but decently firm on the outside, so it doesn't get mushed inside. The pâté and the duxelles are like preparing two individual dishes themselves.

Make the Beef Wellington using a 500g block ready-made puff pastry made with butter, defrosted if frozen. Use chestnut mushrooms for the best flavour, and medium onions. We prefer our meat rarer so reduce cooking times to 25-30 minutes in the oven for medium rare.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and center of roast registers 110°F (43°C) for rare or 120°F (49°C) for medium-rare on an instant-read thermometer, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for ten minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to loosen Wellington from foil, then carefully transfer to a carving board.