Ingredients
800 gms beef fillet
500 gms button and shiitake mushrooms
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
500 gms puff pastry (store bought)
8 slices of beef ham
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt
Sea salt to sprinkle on top
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For the red wine sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
200 gms 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 sprig of thyme
750 ml red grape juice
750ml beef stock (store bought or homemade)
Method
Making the beef reduction sauce:
1. Heat oil in a large pan, then fry the beef trimmings for a few minutes until browned on all sides. Stir in the shallots with the peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown. Add the broth and grape juice and mix well.
2. Strain the liquid well and add it back to the pan to start reducing it.
3. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming any impurities from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Check for seasoning and set aside.
Making the beef Wellington:
1. Wrap the beef tightly in a triple layer of cling film to set its shape, then chill overnight.
2. Remove the cling film, then quickly sear the beef fillet in a hot pan with a little olive oil for 30 to 60 seconds until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
3. Finely chop the mushrooms and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil, the thyme leaves and some seasoning. When the mushrooms begin to release their juices, continue to cook over a high heat for about 10 minutes until all the excess moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste - known as a duxelles. Remove the duxelles from the pan and leave it to cool.
4. Place the pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle large enough to envelop the beef fillet. Chill in the refrigerator.
5. Lay a large sheet of cling film on a work surface and place 4 slices of beef ham in the middle, overlapping them slightly, to create a rectangle roughly the same length as the fillet. Spread half the duxelles evenly over the ham.
6. Season the beef fillet, then place it on top of the mushroom-covered ham. Using the cling film, roll the ham over the beef, then roll and tie the cling film to get a nice, evenly thick log. Then chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Brush the pastry with the egg wash. Remove the cling film from the beef, and then wrap the pastry around the ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
8. When you are ready to cook the beef wellington, score the pastry lightly in a crisscross pattern and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. Rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Note: If you like your beef well cooked, you can bake the Beef Wellington for up to 40 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Serve the beef wellington sliced, with the sauce as an accompaniment.
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