John Williams' beef Wellington
We’re putting on The Ritz this morning with a masterclass in the Christmas classic beef Wellington, live from the iconic London hotel, with head chef John Williams.
Beef Wellington
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the mushroom duxelle
40g chopped shallot
1 clove garlic
40g butter
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
100g finely diced king oyster mushrooms
50g chopped chestnut mushrooms
50g chopped ceps and girolles, washed and dried - it’s important the mushrooms are hand cut
150ml double cream
350g Fillet of beef
For the pancake
3 eggs
100g plain flour
200ml milk
Chopped parsley
For the egg wash
3 egg yolks and 1.5 tsp milk, mixed together
Method
1. To make the mushroom duxelle, sweat the shallots and garlic in the butter. Add the thyme and bay leaf and then add the chopped mushrooms, cooking them slowly for about 15 minutes to release all of the moisture. Add the double cream and reduce until everything is totally amalgamated and the moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool and chill for 10 minutes minimum. Store the duxelle in the fridge until needed.
2. Season the fillet and seal in a hot pan for approximately one minute all the way around. And allow to cool and then chill in the fridge for an hour.
3. To make the pancake, beat the egg, add the flour then mix in the milk. Season and finish with chopped parsley.Cook in a large frying pan and cut into a rectangle, about 30 x 25cm. You could also cook two large circular pancakes and overlap them, then cut into a rectangular shape.
4. Spread the pancake with the mushroom duxelles and roll around the whole of the sealed fillet so that it is covered in the mushroom and pancake
5. Roll the fillet in some cling film and twist it tightly from each end so that it forms a nice cylindrical shape. You will need to use a lot of cling film, wrapping it four or five times. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
6. Trim one of the sheets of pastry into a cross shape. Using the other sheet, cut a lattice with a lattice cutter and gently pull the pastry apart to reveal the diamond shapes. Lay out onto a large tray and leave in the fridge for approximately 15 minutes. It is important that all the pastry is kept cold.
7. Place the fillet of beef, wrapped in pancake, on to the centre of the pastry cross, then pull the flaps from the left and right to cover the fillet. Press down so that it is sealed. Repeat the process with the top and bottom flaps of pastry, once again making sure that there are no gaps and the flaps are totally sealed. Then turn the whole thing over. Chill in a fridge for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
8. Take the lattice and gently lay over the top of the pre-covered fillet of beef. Pull gently to cover the top and sides of the wellington. Then trim and pull underneath to seal.
9. Brush the egg wash over the entire Wellington, top and sides. Place on a baking tray and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the Wellington - it should be approximately 40°C and the pastry should be golden. Allow to rest for at least 10-15 minutes in a warm place. If you prefer your beef to be more well done, leave in the oven for a further 10 minutes before resting.
10. The Wellington is now ready to carve. Serve with a sauce of your preference - this could be a red wine or Madeira jus.