If you’re like me then making a full beef wellington can be a bit hit and miss, soggy bottom, over or undercooked…and a fillet of beef is an expensive mistake if you cock up!
With this method you can have each diners steak as well done or as rare as you like with perfectly crisp pastry… it’s so easy.
I've added a red wine jus recipe to the end of the recipe, it's delicious and freezes really well for the next time you make some wellies!
Check out the link to see the video of me cutting into this beauty!
Check out my wellington reveal video below!
Ingredients
4 6oz fillet steaks
2 packs of serrano ham
250g chestnut mushrooms very finely chopped
½ red onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove grated
1 tsp dried thyme
1 egg beaten
2 packs puff pastry either blocks or ready rolled.
½ glass white wine
4 tsp Dijon mustard
Method
A beef wellington is essentially a fillet steak covered in Dijon mustard, finely chopped mushroom duxelle mixture, wrapped in serrano ham or thin pancetta then encased in puff pastry.
Start with the mushroom duxelle,.
gently sauté ½ a finely chopped red onion in oil and a grated garlic clove, add thyme and a knob of butter then add finely chopped mushrooms, cook until mushrooms have reduced in size. Add wine then continue cooking until all the wine has evaporated and you are left with a sticky mushroom pate-like mixture. Set aside to cool.
Now for the meat….
Its important that your fillet steaks are in a good compact cylinder shape, you can do this yourself by tying butchers string around the edges to squeeze them together (your butcher can easily do this for you) or press them into a metal chef’s ring and chill for at least 2 hours to set the shape.
Salt the steaks front and back.
Heat a frying pan with sunflower or veg oil until searing hot and seal both sides of all 4 fillets. Keep inside the rings / keep the string on. They should be golden on both sides.
Remove from the pan and place on a plate to cool and collect the juices.
Pancetta wrapping time….
Remove your steaks from either the rings or remove string, then pat dry.
Lay several pieces of ether serrano ham or pancetta on the worktop in a star formation,
Now add a teaspoon of mushroom mixture in the centre of the star.
now add ½ tsp Dijon mustard to top and bottom of each steak, place the fillet on the mushroom mix then top with a teaspoon of mushroom. Now carefully wrap each up like a parcel, as securely and tight as you can manage.
Set aside on parchment while you prep your pastry.
Pastry fun…
Roll out your pastry for first the bases, then larger for the tops, it’s helpful to draw around a saucer or a side plate, the base circles need to be a couple of cm larger than the fillet parcels to enable you to seal them. Use your beaten egg to paint a circle of egg wash around the base. The tops should drape easily over your meaty parcels, and stick securely to the egg washed bases. Ensure you squish out any air pockets and feel free to trim off excess pastry.
Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to secure.
Use excess pastry to make designs on your wellingtons or lightly score, and pierce a couple of steam holes in the top.
Now egg wash the whole wellington to give it a golden glossy finish.
Make sure your pastry is reasonably thin (£ coin thickness) any thicker and it will take a while to cook and your steaks will be over cooked.
Place each wellington on some baking parchment on a baking tray and preheat your oven to 200c
When you’re ready to cook pop in the oven for 15 minutes for medium rare and 20 minutes for well done.
Serve with seasonal veg and my silky rich red wine jus.
Cheffy Rich red wine jus
Essentially this is just really, really good red wine gravy, but jus sounds posher so we’ll go with that! You could substitute the red wine for ½ the quantity of port and that would be delicious too. This is not a thick gravy, rather a rich intense glossy beef sauce.
Ingredients
100g Beef trimmings (ask your butcher for these, they’re free from my lovely local butchers)
1 stick celery
1 garlic clove crushed
½ red onion
2 tsp redcurrant jelly
1 full glass red wine
300ml good beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme or a few sprigs of fresh.
50g butter
Good grind of black pepper
Tbsp beef dripping
Small knob of butter.
Start by frying the beef trimmings in dripping until golden, then add onions, celery and garlic (all roughly chopped) and put on a low heat and cook until catching at the edges.
Now add red wine and allow to furiously bubble for a few minutes.
Add thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, redcurrant jelly and stock and turn up the heat, bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat and reduce by at least ½. This may take 20 mins.
You’re aiming for a saucy consistency.
A good way to test is to dip a metal spoon in and draw a line on the back of the spoon through the sauce, if you see a clear metal path through the sauce then you have succeeded!
Now strain your mixture through a fine sieve into a saucepan, when you’re ready to serve add a knob of butter, turn up the heat and whisk until your sauce is rich and glossy and the butter has melted. Season to taste.
I always think it’s worth doubling or tripling the recipe, it freezes brilliantly and it’s ace to have a ‘get a head ‘ sauce!
Now slather over your individual fillet wellingtons!
You'll thank me for all this hard work i promise!
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