CLASSIC BEEF WELLINGTON

This dish is a real showstopper for any celebratory meal.

Serves 6

25-30g (1oz) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes

450g (1lb) mixed fresh mushrooms 50g (1¾oz) unsalted butter

1tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

800g (1lb 12oz) fillet of beef

2tbsp English mustard

10-12 thin slices of Parma ham Plain flour, for dusting

500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry

2 egg yolks, beaten

Drain the porcini mushrooms through a sieve into a bowl, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Keep the liquid to use as stock, if you wish. Put the porcini and fresh mushrooms into a food processor and blitz for a minute to form a paste. Heat the butter in a nonstick frying pan. Add the mushroom paste and thyme and fry for 15 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are quite dry. Remove to a plate to cool.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a high heat. Season the beef fillet and sear on all sides, for 3 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool. Brush the mustard all over the beef fillet.

Place a large piece of clingfilm on your work surface and lay the Parma ham on top in 2 neat, slightly overlapping, rows, so you end up with a rectangle that’s large enough to roll right around your beef.

Evenly spread the mushroom paste on top. Position the beef along one edge of the ham, then use the clingfilm to tightly wrap the mushroom and ham around it, forming a neat log. Twist the clingfilm at either end. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape about 3mm thick and large enough to fully enclose the beef. Brush the pastry with egg yolk. Take the clingfilm off the beef and position it along one edge of the pastry, the one closest to you.

Gently roll the beef away from you, wrapping the pastry around as you go and folding in the open ends, ensuring there are no air pockets. Trim any excess pastry and seal along all seams. Place the beef seam side down on a board and brush with egg yolk. Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes to rest.

Put a baking sheet into the oven and preheat to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Remove the beef from the freezer and lightly score the pastry in a pattern (see picture, top). Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sea salt.

Transfer the beef to the hot baking tray and bake for 40 minutes, until golden. You may think this high heat will overcook the beef, but as it was rested in the freezer it will take a bit of time to come up to temperature. Forty minutes at this temperature will yield a rare beef Wellington. If you prefer to have it medium, bake for another 5 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, an internal temperature of 43°C is rare, and 49°C is medium. Remove and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, slice and serve.