Beef Wellington

Ingredients:
675 gr (1½ lb) fillet steak
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
350 gr (12 oz) puff pastry
1 egg, beaten, to glaze
salt and ground black pepper
For the parsley pancakes:
50 gr (2 oz) (½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
150 ml (¼ pint) (⅔ cup) milk
1 egg
30 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
For the mushroom pâté:
25 gr (1 oz) (2 tbsp) butter
2 shallots or 1 small onion, chopped
450 gr (1 lb) (4 cups) assorted wild and cultivated mushrooms, chopped
50 gr (2 oz) (1 cup) fresh white breadcrumbs
75 ml (5 tbsp) double (heavy) cream
2 egg yolks

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 220̊C (425̊F - gas: 7). Season the fillet steak with several twists of black pepper. Heat the oil in a roasting tin, add the steak and quickly sear to brown all sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes hor rare, 20 minutes for medium-rare or 25 minutes for well-done meat. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 190̊C (375̊F - gas: 5).

To make the pancakes, beat the flour, a pinch of salt, half the milk, the egg and parsley together until smooth, then stir in the remaining milk. Heat and greased, non-stick pan and pour in enough batter to coat the bottom. When set, turn the pancake over and cook the other side briefly until lightly browned. Continue with the remaining batter - the recipe makes three or four pancakes.

To make the mushroom pâté, melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the shallots or onion for 7-10 minutes to soften without colouring. Add the mushrooms and cook until the juices run. Increase the heat so that the juices evaporate. Combine the breadcrumbs, cream and egg yolks. Add to the mushroom mixture and mix to a smooth paste. Allow to cool.

Roll out the pastry to a 36 x 30 cm (14 x 12 in) rectangle. Place two pancakes on the pastry and spread with mushroom pâté. Place the beef on top and spread over any remaining pâté, then the remaining pancakes. Cut out and reserve four squares from the corners of the pastry, then moisten the pastry with egg and wrap the meat. Decorate with the reserved pastry trimmings.

Put the beef Wellington on a baking sheet and brush evenly with beaten egg. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden brown. To ensure that the meat is heated through, test with a meat thermometer. It should read 52-54̊C (125-130̊F) for rare, 57̊C (135̊F) for medium-rare and 71̊C (160̊F) for well-done meat. Serve cut into thick slices. Serves four.