Beef Wellington

A beautifully presented dish for a weekend dinner with friends, or in our case a quiet night in with our girls. I have had this on my radar for months now and just haven't had the right moment to pull it together.  It was honestly not as time consuming as I had remembered and it is certainly not difficult so please give it a try, it will impress you.  Get yourself a lovely cut of beef fillet or tenderloin and you can't go wrong.  My boss at Scotch College, Colin, shared his technique with me about 12 years ago and I still refer to my scrap of paper with his instructions on it!  I did add the prosciutto this time to help keep it altogether and I like that addition.  He used to make individual ones I remember which I've done in the past but this is an easier method I think and looks great when you are ready to slice and serve.  (NB. I do like my meat medium rare so you can cook slightly longer for a more well done result).

serves 4 - 5

Ingredients:
1.3lb (600gm) beef fillet or tenderloin
1.5 cups portobello mushrooms, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 sprigs thyme
80g / 3oz duck liver pate
prosciutto or parma ham, approx 6 slices
sea salt and pepper
1 sheet, puff pastry
1 egg, beaten (egg wash)

Method:

• Pre heat the oven to 425'F 
• Begin to defrost a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface
• Season the beef fillet with salt and pepper
• Sear the beef on a hot pan for 2-3 mins and roll on each side until fully seared.  Remove and allow to cool

• Place the mushrooms in a mini processor and blitz until finely diced
• Sauté the mushrooms in the hot pan, add the garlic and thyme and season well with salt and pepper.  Remove and place on paper towel to help absorb the excess water
• Place a large piece of cling film (glad wrap) on the bench and lay the prosciutto down, overlapping to form the casing of the dish
• Now spread the mushrooms evenly over the prosciutto
• Spread a thin layer of pate over one side of the cooled beef fillet and place face down on the mushroom spread.  Continue spreading the pate over the other side of the beef until fully coated in pate

• Using the cling film as a blanket, roll the prosciutto over the beef and roll until tightly encased. Wrap the cling film tightly over to seal and place in the refridgerator for 15-20mins

• Roll out the pastry to ensure an even sheet
• Remove the cling film from the beef roll and place on the prepared pastry sheet.  Brush the edges of the sheet well with the egg wash to ensure the edges seal properly and fold the pastry over to seal.

• Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and score the pastry with even strikes.  Bake on a lined baking tray for appox 25-30mins or until the top is golden brown.
• It is important to allow the meat to rest for 8-10mins before slicing.

• I served this with some sautéed baby spinach leaves, pan fried roasted potato wedges and a rich brown gravy.