Beef Wellington

Thu, 24 November 2016

Chef Philip Brazil from Sheen Falls Lodge is making a thanksgiving inspired Beef Wellington, perfect for a family get together over the holidays!

Beef Wellington with Braised Red Cabbage and a Truffle Vinaigrette, Beef Jus

Ingredients
Serves 4
800g of Irish Beef fillet, cleaned with sinew taken off
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of thyme leaves, chopped
2 tbsp of Pommery mustard
Salt
Pepper

Mushroom mix
250g of button mushrooms, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
100ml of Madeira
4 tbsp of double cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Pancakes
150g of plain flour
2 eggs
140ml of milk
Oil
Braised Red Cabbage
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
125ml of red wine vinegar
100g of brown sugar
1 large onion, finely sliced
750ml of red wine
1 tsp green peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries
1 sprig of sage
Salt
To wrap the beef fillet
8 large spinach leaves
400g of puff pastry
Egg glaze (1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk)
Truffle vinaigrette
100ml of olive oil
0.5g of xanthan gum
100ml Chicken stock
2g of truffle, finely grated

1. Season the beef fillet thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and, once the pan is nice and hot, add the beef, sprinkling over the chopped thyme. Sear the fillet, turning it every 1-2 minutes to ensure that all sides are coloured. Remove the beef once the outside has browned but the centre is still rare. Coat with the Pommery mustard and leave to rest in the fridge
2. For the mushroom duxelle, melt the butter in the same pan, then add the chopped mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to one side
3. Soften the chopped shallots and garlic in the same pan, then add the mushrooms back in and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the Madeira, bringing it to the boil and then reduce the amount of liquid by half. Add the cream and stir until the mixture has thickened and is beginning to darken. Season with salt and pepper and leave to one side
4. For the pancakes, make a smooth batter by whisking the milk, eggs and flour together. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, add the right amount of batter to make a very thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden on the underside, then flip the pancake over and cook the other side. Repeat this process until all the batter has been used and set the cooked pancakes to one side
5. Quickly blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water and then add to iced water to cool. Remove the leaves and ensure that they are dried thoroughly
6. Place a sheet of cling film onto a board and lay 3 pancakes onto it. Ensure that the pancakes fully cover the cling film, overlapping where necessary. Add a single layer of spinach leaves on top of the pancakes and spread the mushroom duxelle evenly over the spinach. Lie the beef on top and wrap the pancakes, spinach and mushrooms tightly around the fillet. Leave in the fridge to rest, overnight if possible
7. Roll out the puff pastry into a thin sheet about 1/4 cm thick – it will need to be rolled thinner if the pastry is pre- rolled
8. Remove the wrapped beef from the fridge, take out of the cling film and place on top of the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, roll up and seal. Leave to one side while you prepare the vegetables
9. To start the Red Cabbage, add the sugar and vinegar to a large pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the mixture to a thin syrup consistency, then add the onion and red cabbage
10. Sweat the cabbage for 15 minutes, then add the juniper berries, sage and peppercorns. Pour over the red wine and cook on a low heat until the cabbage is tender and the red wine is syrupy in consistency. Season with a little salt and serve
11. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
12. Cook the Wellington in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, the pastry should be golden brown and the internal temperature should be about 49-52°C. Remove the Wellington from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes
13. While the Wellington is resting, prepare the truffle vinaigrette. Use a hand blender to combine the xanthan gum, truffle and olive oil with 100ml of Chicken stock until it forms a coating
14. To serve, spoon red cabbage across the plate, arranging it nicely on top and finishing with the shaved slices of truffle. Cut the beef Wellington into even sized pieces and serve immediately with beef jus or gravy