We all know that beef wellington it's the ultimate festive dish. And if you have decided to make Beef Wellington - Congratulations! You are about to make your dinner guests extremely happy.
Tip#1: The tenderloin! Beef tenderloin is super delicious, but without bones or much marbling, it's not the most flavourful cut of beef in the world. That is why we season liberally.
INGREDIENTS:
Α good beef fillet of around 1kg
250gr chestnut mushrooms
50gr unsalted butter
1 large sprig fresh thyme
100ml dry white wine
12 slices prosciutto
500gr pack puff pastry, thawed if frozen
a little flour, for dusting
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water
METHOD:
Heat oven to 220C degrees
Sit the 1kg beef fillet on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15 mins for medium-rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 mins
While the beef is cooling, chop 250gr chestnut (and wild, if you like) mushrooms and 100g almonds or walnuts as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs
Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and 50gr butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture
Season the mushroom/ nuts mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred
Remove the mushroom/ nuts mixture from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay 12 slices prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row
Spread half the mixture over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining mixture over
Use the cling film’s edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten it as you go
Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry
Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500gr pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking
Roll out the remainder of the 500gr pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm
Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry
Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp water and brush the pastry’s edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet
Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides
Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle
Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef Wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry
Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs. Heat oven to 200C degrees
Brush the Wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp – 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices
Tip #2 : Wrapping your tenderloin in prosciutto it keeps the moisture of the meat, and on top of that it adds even more delicious meaty flavour.
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