Beef Wellington

Ingredients

• 400g mushrooms
• 1-2tbsp English Mustard
• Dash Olive Oil
• 750g piece Beef Fillet
• 6-8 slices Parma ham
• 500g Puff Pastry
• Dusting Flour
• 2 Beaten Egg Yolks

Instructions

1. Prepare the mushroom layer by pulsing the mushrooms in a food processor with salt and pepper until roughly chopped. Transfer to a wide frying pan and cook over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until all excess moisture has evaporated and the mixture is thick and dry. Spread out on a plate and allow to cool completely.
2. Heat a frying pan over high heat with a little olive oil. Pat the beef fillet dry, season well, and quickly sear it for about 30 seconds on each side, just until browned. Do not cook the meat through at this stage. Remove from the pan, let it cool slightly, then brush all over with the mustard.
3. Lay a large sheet of cling film on the work surface and arrange the Parma ham slices in overlapping rows to form a rectangle. Spread the cooled mushroom mixture evenly over the ham. Place the beef fillet in the centre and, using the cling film, wrap the ham and mushrooms tightly around the beef to form a neat log. Twist the ends to secure and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes to set the shape.
4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 3 mm thick. Remove the cling film from the beef and place it in the centre of the pastry. Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg yolk, fold the pastry over the beef, and trim away any excess. Turn seam-side down onto a baking sheet, brush all over with egg, and chill for another 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas 6).
6. Lightly score the pastry at 1 cm intervals and brush again with beaten egg yolk. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F / Gas 4) and bake for a further 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow the Wellington to rest for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving. The beef should be pink in the centre.

instructions_source: editorial-classic