Beef Wellington

This dreaded main course is easier to make at home than you might think! We are making individual small versions to make the cooking even more reliable.

Because we’re about to apply the same technique to a more complicated recipe, but one which consistently gets top marks from our students and guests. It’s also a recipe many of you have specifically requested…Beef Wellington

You will need:
1 portion of shortcrust pastry
Small handful of dried wild mushrooms or a heaped tablespoon of powder
1 fillet steak
200g brown button mushrooms, sliced
Sauce:
1 red onion, sliced
100g brown button mushrooms, sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
Large handful of dried wild mushrooms
1 devil’s penis chilli (or any dried chillies you can get hold of)
1/4 teaspoon of grains of paradise (or 2 peppercorns)
1/2 teaspoon cocoa nibs
200ml red wine
300ml beef stock
Egg crepe:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of mixed herbs
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of cooking truffle oil

Serves 2:

Make the shortcrust pastry first, either using the method shown in our essentials tutorial, or by using a food processor to combine the butter, flour and the dried mushrooms, then following the tutorial from that point on
We added a beautiful twist to the pastry by mixing some dried mushroom powder in with the flour and butter right at the outset
Once you’ve made the pastry and it’s resting in the fridge, make the sauce

Sauce:
Start with a decent glug of oil in a deep pan, and fry your onions on a high heat, with a generous amount of salt
About a minute later, or as soon as they begin to soften, add some chopped button mushrooms
Add a sprig of rosemary and keep everything moving
Next, add a handful of dried wild mushrooms and spices
Turn down the heat and leave to soften for a couple of minutes
Then pour in the wine and leave to simmer for another couple of minutes
Add the beef stock and continue to simmer until the liquid has reduced by about two thirds
This should take no more than 10 minutes, and by the end you’ll have quite a viscous, syrupy sauce with a deep, dark reddish brown colour
Strain and keep warm for service

The egg crepe:
Crack two eggs into a bowl, with a big pinch of salt and some dried mixed herbs
Add the water
Combine thoroughly using a fork or a whisk, then fry in a pan on a medium heat, with a bit of oil, for 3 to 4 minutes
Remove from the heat and then from the pan

Layer of mushrooms:
Simply fry the mushrooms in a pan with a little oil and salt
Give them 5 minutes or so, until they’re really soft and are taking on a rich golden brown colour

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 220C
Start by rolling out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin
Keep your steak in the fridge until this point
Top it with the mushrooms you just fried
Place the egg crepe on top of the mushroom shortcrust, then transfer the steak with the mushroom layer facing down
Fold it up fairly tightly, but remembering that shortcrust pastry is crumbly and fragile
Brush it with a little egg so the top takes on a glossy and crispy appearance when baked, then give it about 12 minutes in the oven
Leave to rest for a couple of minutes, then use a sharp knife to slice into portions
Serve with the sauce and greens.

Spices are from Steenebergs Organic under ‘ALCHEMICAL LARDER – EASY TASTY MAGIC’