Shmick's Beef Wellington
Commonly believed to be the celebration dish of the first Duke of Wellington after his victory at the battle of Waterloo, Beef Wellington is a decadent dish that makes a great centerpiece for any celebration. The cracking pastry and anticipation of the filling and blushing pink fillet make this a show stopper dish! Our Kew apprentice Shmick has put together this straightforward recipe so you can celebrate with your nearest and dearest at home.
Ingredients
Mushroom Pâté
- Olive oil
- 150g Salted grass fed butter (softened)
- 8 Portobello or field mushrooms
- 3 Shallots, sliced
- 1 Clove of garlic minced
- 2 Sprigs of rosemary
- 2 Sprigs of thyme
- Zest of half a lemon
- Murray River Pink Salt Flakes
- 1kg Free Range Beef Eye Fillet (trussed by butcher)
- 30g Cannings Beef Dripping
- Puff Pastry, enough to wrap the filet
- 1 free range egg, beaten
- 1-2 Tbsp of Cannings Ghee (melted)
Method
To make the Mushroom Pâté
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Take your eye fillet out of the fridge and leave on a plate so it can lose its chill for a more even cook.
- Peel the tops of the mushrooms and set aside. Place mushrooms stem up in a baking dish. Pick leaves from one sprig of rosemary and one sprig of thyme, then sprinkle over the gills of the mushrooms. As the mushrooms cook the “mushroom essence” will come up through the stems and be caught in the gills (the herbs and salt will add to the flavour). Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 mins.
- While the mushrooms cook, add olive oil to a pan on medium heat and add garlic and shallots. Cook until softened, but not browned, then add the mushroom peel, remaining herbs, pinch of salt and lemon zest. Combine until fragrant and remove before the ingredients brown. Set aside to cool.
- Remove mushrooms from the oven and check they have sweated enough to release the mushroom essence, if so, set aside to cool.
- Once ingredients have cooled, add to a food processor or Nutri-Bullet with the softened butter, making sure to get every drop of the mushroom essence. Process until it forms a paste.
- This should make more than enough for the Beef Wellington, and can be put in the fridge for up to 5 days and goes beautifully spread on crusty sourdough.
Once Mushroom Pâté is made, it's time for the Wellington
- Preheat the oven to 220C. Heat the Cannings Beef Dripping in a roasting tin and brown the beef on all sides, then put in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and remove the string from around the eye fillet.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 200C. Spread the pastry out big enough to cover the beef fillet completely. Spread the pâté over the pastry, leaving a border around the edge. Brush the border with beaten egg.
- Place the fillet on the pastry and wrap it up tightly like a parcel, pressing the seams together firmly and tucking the ends under. Put the parcel, seam-side-down, on a baking tray and brush all over with the melted Cannings Ghee.
- Bake for 25mins for rare and 35mins for medium. Allow the beef to rest on a wire rack for 20mins before carving.
- Serve with red wine jus, your favourite baked veggies and celebratory red!
