Tag: beef fillet

Beef  Wellington with wild mushrooms and madeira sauce

Prep Time : 30 to 60 Minutes

Cook Time : 1 to 2 Hours

Ingredients :

• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 x 1 kg/2lb. 4 oz. beef fillet (ask your butcher for the middle section)
• 50-100 g/2-3½oz Butter
• 4 to 6 Portobello Mushrooms, cleaned and very finely chopped
• 150 g/5½oz baby spinach leaves
• 2 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks
• 60 g/2¼ oz plain flour
• 200 ml/7 fl oz Milk
• 150 g/5 ½oz chicken liver pate’
• 500 g/1 lb 2oz readymade puff pastry
• 150 g/5½oz mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
• 50 ml/2 fl oz Madeira Rum
• 300 ml/10 fl oz concentrated beef stock (boil 600 ml/1 pint beef stock  until the volume has reduced by half)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions :

• Preheat the oven to 100 C/80 C Fan/Gas ½.
• Heat the oil in frying pan over a high heat. Quickly fry the beef fillet, turning it every few seconds, until browned on all sides.
• Cut 4 large pieces of heatproof cling film or aluminium foil big enough to roll the beef fillet in, and place them on top of each other. Place the beef fillet in the center and wrap it very tightly to form a cylinder, twisting the ends to secure. Place the wrapped beef fillet on a baking tray and roast in the oven for an hour.
• Remove the beef from the oven, set aside until cooled to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until completely cold.
• Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the chopped mushrooms and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have softened. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and wipe the pan with a piece of kitchen roll.
• Add a little more butter to the pan, then fry the spinach for a minute, or until just starting to wilt. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir the spinach until completely wilted. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Next, make the pancakes. Place the two whole eggs and the flour in a bowl and whisk together until well combined. Gradually whisk in the milk until the mixture forms a smooth batter that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Heat a knob of butter in a frying over a high heat. When the butter is foaming and starting to smoke, add a ladle-full of the pancake batter and swirl the pan to evenly coat the base. Fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the underside of the pancake is golden-brown. Flip the pancake over and cook for a further minute, or until the pancake is cooked through and golden-brown all over. Slide the pancake out onto a plate lined with grease-proof paper, then cover it with another layer of grease-proof paper. Repeat the process with the remaining butter and pancake batter.
• Place the chicken liver pâté in a bowl and beat until smooth and soft.
• Increase the oven temperature to 230 C/210 C Fan/Gas 8.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a rectangle measuring 40×50 cm/16×20 in with a thickness of 2-3 mm (it needs to be large enough to wrap the beef fillet).
• Arrange the pancakes all over the pastry, overlapping the edges slightly and leaving a 2.5 cm/1 in border free at the edge. Trim the overlapping edges of the pancakes using a sharp knife so they sit in one even layer.
• Spread the softened pâté in an even layer all over the pancakes. Arrange a layer of wilted spinach on top. Spread the cooked mushrooms on top of the spinach. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Finally, peel the cling film or foil from the beef fillet and place it in the center.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, then brush them around the pastry border. Tightly roll the beef fillet in the pastry, ensuring the seal sits at the bottom of the Wellington. Tuck the ends underneath the Wellington without trimming them. Transfer the Beef Wellington to a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush all over with the remaining beaten egg yolks. If desired, decorate with pastry trimmings.
• Bake the Beef Wellington in the oven for 20-25 minutes (for medium), or until the pastry has risen and is golden-brown.
• Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a frying pan over a high heat. When the butter is foaming, add the wild mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened. Add the Madeira Rum and set it alight using a match. (Caution: Keep eyes and hair away from the flames and switch off the extractor fan before flaming.) Allow the flames to flare up and die down.
• Add the concentrated beef stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the volume of liquid has reduced by one-third. Stir in the remaining butter until melted.
• To serve, carve the beef Wellington into thick slices and place each into the center of a serving plate. Drizzle the mushroom and Madeira sauce around the edge of the plates.

Classic Beef Wellington

Ingredients for the Beef Wellington :

• 1 kg beef fillet
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 5 – 6 thin slices prosciutto
• plain flour, for dusting
• 500 g pack all-butter puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

For the mushroom stuffing :

• 20 g dried porcini mushrooms
• 400 g chestnut or button mushroom, roughly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaf
• 50 g Butter
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• A splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

For the gravy:

• 25 g butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• splash of brandy
• glass of red wine
• 1 beef stock cube

How to Cook The Beef Wellington :

• First soak the dried Porcini Mushrooms in 400 ml of kettle-hot water and set aside.
• Pat the beef fillet with kitchen paper to dry it of any blood then season with salt and then heavily with black pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until very hot then spend 8-10 mins searing and turning the fillet with tongs until it’s well browned on all sides.Hold it up to sear both ends as well.
• Set the beef aside on a tray to catch any juices and turn the heat off the pan but don’t clean it.
• Drain and squeeze out the dried porcini but reserve the juice and tip the porcini into a food processor with the other mushrooms and thyme.
• Season everything with salt and pepper and pulse until finely chopped but not completely smooth.
• Place the beef pan back on the heat with the butter and when it starts to sizzle add the shallot and cook for 2 mins until softened.
• Turn the heat up and tip in the mushrooms, add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and cook everything for 10-12 mins until you have a paste that comes away from the side of the pan.
• Tip into a bowl to cool, stir through the Parmesan and set aside.</>
• Turn off the heat from the pan but don’t clean it.
• For the first stage of assembly of the beef wellington, get a large sheet of cling film and overlap the prosciutto slices on it in a row, tip the mushroom mix on top then cover with another sheet of cling film.
• Either with your hands or a rolling pin, pat it down or roll it out to a thin layer that just covers the prosciutto.
• Remove the top sheet of cling film and sit the fillet down in the center of the mushrooms.
• Using the edge of the cling film lift and roll the prosciutto and mushrooms to encase the beef then use the cling film to roll everything into a tight sausage.
• For the best results now place the sausage in the freezer for 30 mins to firm up – do not leave for longer or cooking times will be affected.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than a magazine, trim the edges to neaten and save the trimmings.
• Lightly brush the pastry all over with beaten egg.
• Carefully unwrap the prosciutto parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry.
• Like wrapping a parcel or making a spring roll fold the shorter edges over the fillet then roll the whole thing around the fillet to encase the beef wellington.
• For a really neat finish get another clean sheet of cling film and roll the Wellington into a sausage tight sausage again.
• Place in the fridge and chill the beef wellington, for at least 30 mins or up to a day.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 with a sturdy, lightly oiled baking tray in it.
• Unwrap the Beef Wellington, brush all over with egg.
• Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and transfer, sealed side down to the heated baking tray.
• Bake the for 10 mins then reduce the heat of the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and continue to bake for 25 mins for rare meat, 30 mins for medium rare, 35 mins for medium and about 45 mins for well-done, making sure the pastry doesn’t burn (you can cover it with foil if it starts to become too dark.
• Remove the beef wellington  from the oven and leave for 10 mins to relax.
• To make the gravy, heat the butter in the mushroom pan and fry the shallot, thyme and bay, scraping the crispy bits of the pan with a wooden spoon.
• Scatter over the flour and brown then splash in the brandy, sizzle for a minute, then add the red wine and boil to a purple paste.
• Pour in the mushroom soaking liquid, avoiding the gritty bits at the bottom, crumble in the stock cube and any juice from the resting beef and simmer for 5 mins until you have a tasty gravy, season to taste.
• Using a very sharp knife carefully carve the Wellington into 6 thick slices.
• Serve on heated plates with a jug of gravy.