Beef Wellington
Serves 4
2 x 400 g beef fillets
Olive oil, for frying
500 g mixture of wild mushrooms, cleaned
1 thyme sprig, leaves only
500 g puff pastry
8 slices of Parma ham
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the red wine sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
200 g beef trimmings (ask the butcher to reserve these when trimming the fillet)
4 large shallots, peeled and sliced
12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
Splash of red wine vinegar
750 ml bottle red wine
500 ml Beef Bone Stock
Method
Start by wrapping each piece of beef tightly in cling film to shape them and chill them overnight. After removing the cling film, quickly sear the beef fillets in a hot pan with olive oil until they're browned all over and rare in the middle. Once done, let them cool.
Next, finely chop the mushrooms and fry them with thyme leaves and seasoning until all the excess moisture evaporates, creating a mushroom paste known as a duxelle. After the duxelle cools, cut the pastry in half, roll each piece into a rectangle, and chill them. On a work surface, lay a sheet of cling film and arrange 4 slices of Parma ham to create a square. Spread half of the duxelle over the ham, season the beef fillets, and place them on top. Using the cling film, roll the Parma ham over the beef, forming a log, and repeat with the other fillet.
After chilling for 30 minutes, brush the pastry with an egg wash and wrap it around each ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the excess pastry, brush with more egg wash, and chill for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the red wine sauce by frying beef trimmings with shallots, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme. Once golden brown, add vinegar, let it bubble, then pour in the wine and reduce. add stock, simmer for an hour, strain the liquid, and check for seasoning.
When ready to cook the beef wellingtons, score the pastry, brush with more egg wash, and bake until golden brown. After resting, carve the wellingtons and serve them with the reheated sauce.