Beef Wellington
Serves 4
For the mushroom duxelle
- 500g button mushrooms
- 50g unsalted butter
- 80g white onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 6g garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- ¼ lemon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the herb pancakes
- 50g baby spinach
- 5g tarragon
- 5g chervil
- 5g parsley
- 12g unsalted butter
- 75g whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 100g plain flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- oil
To build and cook the beef Wellington
- 500g centre-cut fillet of beef
- oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 200g reserved mushroom duxelle
- 5 reserved herb pancakes
- 1 sheet ready-rolled store-bought puff pastry
- egg wash (made by whisking 1 egg with a dash of milk)
To make the duxelles, wash the mushrooms and dry them well before placing in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Heat the butter in a pan over moderate heat and cook the onions and garlic until softened but not caramelised. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until all the moisture from the mushrooms cooks out, increasing the temperature towards the end. Remove the pan from the heat and season with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool.
For the herb pancakes, wash and pick the leaves from the spinach and herbs and spin dry in a salad spinner. Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat and add all the greens. Gently cook for 3-4 minutes until they have wilted. Remove and place into a mini food processor along with the milk, and blitz until smooth. Add the eggs, followed by the sifted flour and blend to a smooth batter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. To make the pancakes, wipe a 20cm non-stick frying pan with a little oil and pour enough batter to coat the base of the pan, swirling the pan to evenly distribute the batter. Flip after 45 seconds to a minute and cook for an additional 45 seconds to a minute. Remove the cooked pancakes and repeat the process. The recipe should yield 5 pancakes.
To assemble and cook the Wellington, rub a little oil on the fillet and season with salt. Sear the fillet on the plancha of the BBQ Force and brown on all sides. Remove and place immediately in the fridge for 5 minutes to halt any further cooking. Remove from the fridge and spread the duxelle around the fillet as evenly as possible. Place the fillet on top of 2 pancakes that overlap each other and continue to wrap the beef fillet using the other pancakes to make a sealed parcel. Lay out the sheet of puff pastry on a chopping board. Place the meat in the centre. Roll the puff pastry tightly, cutting any excess puff pastry. Pinch the edges until completely sealed. Brush egg wash over all sides of the pastry using a pastry brush and sprinkle with rock salt. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat a pizza stone inside the Force or Furnace for 30 minutes by placing on top of the grill and closing the lid, bringing the temperature of the BBQ to 180°C. Once the temperature is reached, place the Wellington in the centre of the pizza stone on top of a piece of parchment paper. Close the lid and leave for 25 minutes. Once a golden colour is achieved on the pastry, allow the Wellington to cook for an additional 10 minutes, then remove from the BBQ and rest for 10 minutes. A medium-rare Wellington will read 56°C on a thermometer probe.