Beef Wellington

Method 

1. Clean the beef fillet by removing as much sinew and fat as possible and keep the trimmings aside to make the red wine jus. Cut the middle cylinder portion out of the fillet, leaving the ends to make beef tartare or a delicious beef stirfry! We want an even, tidy piece so it cooks evenly.
2. Pre-heat a frying pan to a high heat and season the beef fillet generously with salt and pepper. Add a splash of oil to the hot pan and sear the beef off until all sides are lightly browned. We don’t want to cook the beef through at this stage, just sear the outside to help keep the beef juices in. Once fully seared, brush the Dijon mustard all over the beef in a thin layer. This must be done while the beef is hot so it can absorb the mustard and give the beef a beautiful flavour. Leave the beef to cool slightly and wrap up firmly in clingfilm and refrigerate.
3. Caramelize the Onion using a splash of oil, a pinch of salt and once translucent add the balsamic vinegar. Once all the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated from the pan, the onion mix is ready. Keep aside to cool.
4. Using a blender, blitz all the mushrooms, walnuts and the cooled caramelised Onion mixture and season with salt and cracked pepper. Once it has come together to form a paste, place the paste in a dry pan over a medium heat. This is the duxelle. We want to dry out the duxelle mixture as much as possible so keep stirring as needed until it is nice and dry but still spreadable. Set aside to cool.
5. Roll out clingfilm on the bench and spread the prosciutto over the clingfilm, slightly overlapping each piece. Spread the duxelle evenly over the prosciutto and finally lay the beef in the centre and using the clingfilm to help, roll the beef as firmly as possible in the prosciutto and duxelle. This should completely encapsulate the beef. Twist the ends of the clingfilm and roll the whole fillet along a clean surface to tighten it and remove as much air as possible. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or ideally over night.
6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, big enough to be able to easily cover the fillet. Lay out three crepes in the middle of the pastry (this is completely optional, the crepes help absorb any liquid from the beef cooking which can help with a crispier pastry). Place the unwrapped beef fillet in the centre of the crepes or the pastry and roll as firmly as possible. Trim off any excess pastry and fold the ends up and ensure there are no holes, this creates a perfect environment to cook the beef. Once again, we roll this in clingfilm and refrigerate! It’s a timely process but one I can assure is incredibly worth it!
7. While we leave the Beef Wellington to firm up in the fridge, make the jus. Pre-heat a pot with a splash of oil over medium heat and add the beef trimmings, sliced onion and crushed garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the red wine vinegar and once it has almost evaporated, add the remaining ingredients – all bar the cornstarch. Leave to simmer and reduce to about a quarter of its starting point. At this point you can reduce even further until it coats the back of a spoon, or you can add the cornflour mix until the jus turns nice and thick. Remove from the heat, strain and return to a clean pot ready to re-heat for serving.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees, fan forced. Pre-heat the oven tray you are going to cook the beef on. Remove the Beef from the fridge, unwrap and place on a piece of greaseproof paper. Lightly whisk the egg and brush the pastry in the egg wash evenly. Lightly score the pastry without cutting it with the back side of a knife if desired. Lift the Beef onto the pre-heated oven tray and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Every oven is different so this is approximate, but once the pastry is lovely and golden it should be perfectly cooked through. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into it. If you have a meat thermometer, we went the internal temperature of the beef to be approximately 55 degrees for medium rare when it’s first out of the oven.
9. Re-heat the jus and serve with the beef and desired sides! We love a spread of summer salads and new season potatoes in butter and mint!