In Gordon Ramsay's Career, One Recipe Stands Above The Rest
Ever wonder why Gordon Ramsay always orders crab cakes on "Kitchen Nightmares?" According to The Daily Meal, the answer is simple: Not only is it a foolproof indicator of how skilled or unskilled the head chef is, it also shows how much care the restaurant puts into what comes out of their kitchen.
At Ramsay's own restaurants, the same principle applies to beef Wellington, which (by no accident of course) is included on most of his menus (via Insider). Ramsay describes his beef Wellington on YouTube as "the ultimate indulgence, one of my all-time favorite main courses," and even goes so far as to say, "it would definitely be on my last supper menu." Considering it's a dish worthy enough to be served as a Michelin-starred chef's last meal, it makes sense that beef Wellington isn't exactly the easiest to master. The recipe requires a great deal of patience, attention to detail, and, of course, culinary mastery. Between the duxelles, the herb crepe, and the filet mignon, there's quite a bit of room for failure in a beef Wellington (via MasterClass); but if you're able to make it according to Ramsay's standards, you're pretty much guaranteed to be on his good side forever — or at least make it far on "Hell's Kitchen."
Testing chefs with beef Wellington isn't just something that happens on TV
Gordon Ramsay is well known for his passionate response to an improperly prepared beef Wellington. It's such a common trope that it's been the subject of several memes, even prompting one person on TikTok to provoke Ramsay by making a vegan version. Ramsay, however, continues to be a good sport about the topic, with former "Hell's Kitchen" and "MasterChef" alum Nicole Iizuka writing for POPSUGAR, "behind the scenes he's every bit the funny jokester."
That doesn't mean Ramsay takes beef Wellington any less seriously in real life than he does on-screen. Despite being on the production team and not a chef at all, Iizuka was still put to the challenge of making Ramsay's signature recipe. "Two weeks into the job, I found myself tasked with learning how to make beef Wellington," Iizuka recounted. "Thankfully I had a fantastic teacher, one of Gordon's behind-the-scenes sous chefs, who walked me through the process step by step and in great detail." No matter what role you have on Ramsay's team, apparently getting beef Wellington right is the ultimate measure of excellence.
Think you'd have what it takes to work with the celebrity chef? Be sure to check out our version of Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington, which takes the chef's signature dish and turns it into individual portions.