Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is a South African favorite, but the juices from the meat can sometimes make the puff pastry quite soggy. Follow our springbok wellington recipe below and it will come out perfect every-time.

Ingredients for the Duxelle:

2 knobs butter, softened A small glug of B-well Canola oil Half and onion, finely chopped 1 punnet portobello mushrooms, stems removed, finely chopped About ½ cup cream Milled salt and cracked pepper Bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Method:

1. Gently heat the butter and oil in a heavy based pan over a medium heat.

2. Stir in the onion and cook until soft, then add the mushrooms.

3. Increase the heat and add the cream, salt and pepper.

4. Stir vigourously then leave to cook, stirring occasionally until the cream has reduced and the mushrooms are cooked, about 15 minutes and the mixture should be quite dry.

5. Remove from the heat and stir through the parsley, set aside.

– While you are making the duxelle, get a friend to make the crêpes. Or keep a couple from your pancake stack breakfast!

Ingredients for the Crêpes (pancakes):

½ cup flour A pinch of salt 2 eggs ¾ cup, you might need a little more 4 knobs of butter

Method:

1. In a large bowl, sieve the flour and salt together.

2. Make a well in the centre, crack in the two eggs and a splash of milk.

3. Using a wooden spoon, start mixing and gradually whish in the remaining milk, a little bit at a time, until you have a smooth batter.

4. To make your pan nonstick, place over the heat and add ground salt. Leave for a couple minutes until the salt has browned, remove salt, and wipe the surface clean.

5. Return the pan to the heat, add a knob of butter and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Wipe with paper towel. Ladle in enough batter to coat the entire pan. Cook for about 30 seconds to a minute on the one side, then flip the crêpes and cook for a further 30 seconds. Repeat this until you have four crêpes.

For the rest:

1kg springbok or beef loin Salt and cracked pepper Splash of B-well Canola oil 1 roll puff pastry, thawed but cool ½ cup flour 1 egg, whisked Knob salted butter, melted

Method:

1. Pat the springbok dry, give it a good rubbing with salt and black pepper. Seal in a hot pan until it is browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

2. While the springbok is cooling. Carefully place the crêpes on a clean working surface, overlapping them slightly.

3. Scoop the mushroom duxelle over the crêpes (pancake) and spread evenly.

4. Place the cooled loin into the centre of the crêpes. Carefully wrap around the loin, tucking them underneath the loin. Trim off excess crêpes.

5. Dust a clean work surface with a little flour. Place the puff pastry on the surface and pop the crêpe wrapped loin in the centre.

6. Pull the sides up together, encasing the fillet in pastry and press the sheet together to cover all sides. Trim away the excess pastry.

7. Lift the Wellington onto a greased baking tray and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

8. Brush with lightly beaten egg and or melted butter and bake at 200, or according to pastry instructions, until golden about 25-30 minutes.

9. Leave to rest for about 10-15 minutes, slice and serve.

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