Beef Wellington recipe

Beef Wellington never fails to impress. This exquisite dish features tender beef fillets encased in buttery puff pastry and filled with a delectable mushroom duxelles. To prepare this culinary masterpiece with Gordon Ramsay's recipe, here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

• 2 x 400g beef fillets
• Olive oil, for frying
• 500g assorted wild mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 sprig of thyme, leaves only
• 500g puff pastry
• 8 slices of Parma ham
• 2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tbsp water and a pinch of salt
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the red wine sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200g beef trimmings (ask the butcher for these when trimming the fillet)
• 4 large shallots, peeled and sliced
• 12 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme

• Splash of red wine vinegar
• 1 x 750ml bottle of red wine
• 750ml beef stock

Here's how you can prepare the dish:

1. Start by tightly wrapping each beef fillet with a triple layer of cling film to give it shape. Allow the fillets to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Remove the cling film, then sear the beef fillets quickly in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Cook for 30-60 seconds until the beef is browned all over and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and let them cool.
3. Finely chop the mushrooms and fry them in a hot pan with some olive oil, thyme leaves, and a pinch of seasoning. Cook over high heat until the excess moisture evaporates, and you're left with a mushroom paste called duxelles. Set the duxelles aside to cool.
4. Cut the puff pastry in half and roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle large enough to wrap one beef fillet. Chill the pastry in the refrigerator.
5. Lay out a cling film sheet on your work surface, overlapping 4 slices of Parma ham slightly to form a square. Spread half of the cooled duxelles evenly over the ham.
6. Season the beef fillets and place each one on top of the mushroom-covered ham. Use the cling film to roll the Parma ham tightly around the beef. Tie the cling film to create an evenly thick log. Repeat this step with the second beef fillet and allow them to chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. Brush the pastry with an egg wash. Remove the cling film from the beef and wrap each ham-wrapped fillet with the pastry. Trim any excess pastry and brush the entire pastry-wrapped fillets with the egg wash. Cover with cling film and cool for at least 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the red wine sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the beef trimmings until they turn brown on all sides. Add the shallots, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Continue cooking for approximately 5 minutes until shallots are golden brown.
9. Pour in the red wine vinegar and let it bubble until almost dry. Then, add the red wine and simmer until mostly reduced. Stir in the beef stock and bring it back to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer gently for approximately 1 hour, ensuring to remove any impurities. Once done, strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Adjust the seasoning to taste and set the sauce aside.
10. When you're ready to cook the beef Wellingtons, score the pastry lightly and brush it with the egg wash. Bake them at 200°C/Gas 6 for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown and cooked. Allow the Wellingtons to rest for 10 minutes before carving.
11. Reheat the red wine sauce, and serve the sliced beef Wellingtons accompanied by the sauce.

Enjoy the tantalizing flavors of this perfectly executed beef Wellington, magnificently complemented by the rich red wine sauce. It's an exceptional dish for any celebratory occasion!

Earlier, SSP told how to bake chicken breasts correctly.