Beef en Croute

Mon, 29 July 2019

Ingredients:
1 kg of a good beef fillet trimmed of any grizzle or fat
3 tbsp. olive oil
250g wild mushrooms
1tbls of Dijon Mustard
50g butter
1 large sprig fresh thyme
100ml dry white wine
450g of Fresh Spinach or 200g of frozen spinach defrosted fully
Pinch of nutmeg
500g pack puff pastry, thawed if frozen
a little flour, for dusting
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp. water

Method:
1 Heat a pan add some oil and seal your fillet well on all sides, as it is sealing, season with sea salt , black pepper and thyme, remove from the pan, rub some Dijon mustard into the outer part of the fillet
2 While the beef is cooling, chop 250g wild, mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs.
3 Heat 2 tbsp. of the rapeseed oil and 50g butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with 1 large sprig fresh thyme, for about 10 mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over 100ml dry white wine and cook for about 10 mins until all the wine has been absorbed. Now add the breadcrumb and bind. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
4 Heat back up your pan, add some rapeseed oil and butter, add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and nutmeg and let wilt, when soft drain in a colander
5 Dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out a third of the 500g pack of puff pastry to a 18 x 30cm strip and place on a non-stick baking sheet (line with parchment paper to be sure to be sure). Roll out the remainder of the 500g pack of puff pastry to about 28 x 36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the center of the smaller strip of pastry.
6 Now mask the fillet with the mushrooms duxelle, then place the spinach over the duxelle
7 Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1 tsp. water and brush the pastry's edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet. Using a rolling pin, carefully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef parcel to allow for air to escape. Chill for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hrs.
8 Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Brush the Parcel with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp 20-25 mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving in thick slices.