24 Mar Beef Wellington with Red Wine Jus

Preparation Time: 20Min Cooking Time: 45min Serves:4-6

You Will Need:

• 800g-1kg Beef Fillet
• 8-12 Slices Parma Ham or Prosciutto
• 500g Mixture of Wild Mushrooms finely chopped
• 100ml Dry White Wine (Optional)
• 2 Sprig Fresh Thyme – leaves only finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 400g Puff Pastry (completely thawed)
• 2 Egg Yolks beaten with 1tsp water and pinch of salt
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil & Butter for Frying
• 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (Optional)

Method:

For your fillet to hold a nice shape, wrap it tightly in cling film and chill overnight.

• In a hot skillet, sear the fillet in all little olive oil until all sides are brown (about 30sec-1min each side), remove and set aside to cool.
• In the same skillet add more olive oil and butter, fry the mushrooms and add salt and pepper stirring continuously. Wait for the mushrooms to release their juices add minced garlic and thyme and continue to cook for about 10min, add white wine and cook until all the moisture has evaporated and you are left with a mushroom paste. This is called a Mushroom Duxelle. Remove the duxelle from the skillet and set aside to cool.
• Lay a piece of cling film on a large chopping board, arrange parma ham on top of it making sure the pieces are overlapping a little. Now spoon the mushroom duxelle and spread it over parma ham.
• Season the fillet with salt & pepper then place it in the middle of the mushroom covered parma ham. Using the cling film roll the parma ham over the beef covering it completely then twist the sides of the cling film to form a tight log, let this chill whilst you are preparing your puff pastry.
• Lightly dust your working surface with flour (to prevent it from sticking to the surface), roll the puff pastry
• Brush the puff pastry with Dijon mustard and then remove the cling film from the fillet, place it on the puff pastry. Wrap the pastry around the fillet and seal it tightly and trim the edges. Use the egg wash to brush and seal the edges. Score the pastry into diamond shapes (careful not to cut all the way through the pastry) or decorate with pastry art leaves,  and then brush the rest of the of the pastry with egg wash. Chill for about 30 minutes before baking.
• Brush with egg wash again and bake in a preheated oven (200 Degrees Celsius) , for about 20-30minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. The meat in the middle should be medium rare, bake for longer if you prefer it more done.
• Serve with Mash Potatoes and/or Veggies

Red Wine Jus

You Will Need:

• 150ml Red Wine
• 250ml Beef Stock/ Chicken Stock
• 3 Cloves Garlic – Crushed
• 1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary
• 1 Sprig  Fresh Thyme
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

• Melt Butter in a saucepan on low heat, add cruched garling, rosemary & thyme sprigs let this cook until fragrant.
• Add wine and let it simmer on medium heat until the wine is reduced by half, for about 15-20minutes.
• Add beef stock once reduced, add salt and pepper. Continue simmering over low heat until the sauce reduces by half again. Leave longer if you want the sauce more concentrated.
• Remove the herbs sprigs and garlic, you may use the sieve if necessary
• Serve over Beef Wellington