Beef Wellington
Ingredients
2 x 400g Beef Fillets from Penguin Meats
Olive oil for frying
500g mixture of wild mushrooms, cleaned
1 sprig thyme, leaves only
500g puff pastry
8 slices of Parma Ham
2 egg yolks beat with 1 tbsp water and pinch of Sea salt and black pepper
Red Wine Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
200g beef trimmings – ask Penguin Meats to reserve these when trimming the fillet
4 large shallots, peeled and sliced
12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
Splash of red wine vinegar
750 ml beef stock
Directions
1. Wrap each piece of beef tightly in a triple layer of plastic wrap to set it’s shape. Chill overnight.
2. Remove the wrap, and quickly sear the beef fillets in a hot pan with olive oil for 30-60 seconds until browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from pan and cool.
3. Finely chop the mushrooms and fry in a pan with a little olive oil, thyme leaves and season. Cook for about 10 minutes until excess moisture has evaporated.
4. Cut pastry in half, place on a floured surface and roll into a rectangle large enough to wrap one fillet. Chill in the refrigerator
5. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface and place 4 slices of Parma ham in the middle, overlapping to create a square. Spread half the mushroom mixture over the ham.
6. Season the beef fillets then place on top of the mushroom covered ham. Using the plastic wrap, roll the ham over the beef. Roll and tie the wrap to create a thick log. Repeat with other beef fillet and chill at least 30 minutes.
7. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Remove the plastic wrap from the beef. Wrap the pastry around each ham wrapped beef fillet. Trim excess pastry and brush with egg wash. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.
8. Prepare the red wine sauce. Heat oil in a large pan then fry the beef trimmings until browned on all sides. Stir in shallots, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme and continue to cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The shallots should be golden brown.
9. Pour in the vinegar and continue to cook until almost dry. Add wine and boil until almost reduced. Add stock and boil again. Lower heat and simmer for one hour. Remove any scum from the surface of the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve lined with cheese cloth.
10. When ready to cook the beef wellington, score the pastry and brush with egg wash again. Back at 200C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked.
Rest 10 minutes before serving.