ChEAT’s Wellington
Beef Wellington is one of those special Christmas lunch mains, but some people are intimidated by its complexity. Here’s ChEAT’s version of this delicious dish. It might look like a lot of work, but you can spread all this over 2-3 days to make it easier.
Ingredients for around 4 persons:
Crepe:
70g Plain Flour
1/4tsp Salt
100ml Milk
1 Egg
1tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley
Mushroom Duxelles:
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
1 Small Shallot (finely chopped)
500g Mushroom Selection
100g Cooked Chestnuts (finely chopped)
1tsp Butter
1tsp Fresh Thyme
Wellington:
600g Beef Tenderloin
1tsp Olitalia E/V Olive Oil
1tbsp Colman’s Mustard
100g Prosciutto Slices
2 Sheets of Puff Pastry (rectangular)
2 Egg Yolks (Beaten)
1 Sprig of Fresh Rosemary
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Method:
Let’s start with the beef. You have an option here, either buy the whole tenderloin or ask your butcher to give you the best part for your Wellington. Buying the whole thing gives more value to your pocket.
If you buy the whole tenderloin you have to clean it a little. Remove from the plastic and pat dry any blood with a paper towel.
It has a ‘head’ and a ‘tail’ but we only need the centre part which is even in size.
Using a sharp boning knife, cut the fillet out and remove any extra fat and silver skin that it might have.
You can use the rest of the fillet for steaks, mince or burgers.
Season your meat well with salt and fresh pepper.
Heat up your skillet on a high flame, place some olive oil in it and seal the meat from every side.
Now here you need to be quick, we need that classic pink medium rare result so only cook the meat for about a minute per side including the top and bottom.
If you prefer a more well-done result, this is the time to cook it more. I suggest not more than 3 minutes per side.
Remove from the pan and immediately brush with the mustard.
Let it cool off a little then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge.
For the mushroom Duxelles, finely chop the mushrooms using the pulse function of a food processor. It is very important to finely chop them, not turn them into a cream! Alternatively, use a traditional knife and chopping board.
The chestnuts need to be cooked before using them. Either roast some fresh ones or if using dry ones you need to let them soak overnight and boil them for about half an hour before using.
Fry the shallot in some butter and add the garlic. Add the chestnuts and cook until the shallot is soft.
Add the mushrooms and season to taste. Add some fresh thyme and lower the flame.
You need to dry them as much as possible, and let the water evaporate mixing now and then. Sometimes this process can take about 40 minutes or more, depending on the water content. It is very important otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy Wellington.
When they are dry and start getting flakey, turn off the heat and flatten them out on a baking tray or a plate. Allow them to cool down then place them uncovered in the fridge to dry even more.
For the crepes, simply mix and whisk all the ingredients together until you have no lumps, and fry the crepes on both sides in a large skillet. Now the crepe needs to cover the whole meat. Either make a large one or you can make 4 smaller ones.
Now we are ready to assemble the Wellington.
Place the crepe/s on some cling film and line a layer of prosciutto on top.
Carefully, make a layer of Duxelles on top of the ham. This needs to be about a centimetre thick.
Gently place the beef on top, and start rolling the crepe tightly with the help of the plastic film.
The tighter you make it the better the result.
Roll the edges so it will hold the cylindrical shape. I like to give it another wrap in aluminium foil to hold the shape better. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Unroll the puff pastry onto some plastic wrap and brush it with the yolk.
Remove the meat from the plastic wrapping and gently but tightly roll it onto the puff pastry. Cut out any extra dough.
I like to leave the wax paper on, it will help with the rolling.
Close the edges well and using the plastic edges, make sure you don’t have any air pockets trapped in the casing.
Grab the plastic edges and roll everything onto your kitchen top to create a tight seal and a nice roll shape.
Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up and hold the shape. This process can be done the day before.
To prepare for baking, place the dough roll onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush with egg wash. (egg yolk with a tablespoon of water or milk)
You can simply bake it like this or else you can decorate it with a dough lace or leaf cutouts. This process is completely optional for how you want to decorate it. It will look nicer for presentation.
Drizzle it with some flaked salt and bake in a preheated 200°c for 30 - 35 minutes until it’s nicely golden brown.
Let it rest on a chopping board for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Cutting it before will result in losing all the natural beef juices and getting soggy puff pastry. We don’t want that.
Serve with roast or mashed potatoes, vegetables and silky gravy.
It’s a long procedure but it’s worth it!
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