Beef wellington with yorkshire pudding and red wine gravy

According to folklore, this retro-dinner party dish is named after Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington who fought Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and who liked a similar dish. Wrapping meat in pastry actually dates back to Roman times – it was a way to keep meat moist and safe from contamination, and the pastry was never eaten. We’ve teamed the beef with another English favourite, Yorkshire pudding.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  55 minutes

• difficulty

  Ace

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 kg centre cut beef eye fillet
• 2 x 750 g blocks all-butter frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 tbsp good-quality chicken liver pâté
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• steamed baby (Dutch) carrots, to serve

Duxelles

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g Swiss brown mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 200 g field mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 20 g butter, chopped
• 1 eschalot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp dry sherry

Yorkshire pudding

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 200 ml milk
• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour, sifted

Red wine gravy

• 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 150 ml red wine
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 20 g butter, chopped

You will need a 4-hole (¾ cup-capacity) muffin pan for this recipe.

Chilling time 30 minutes

Drink match 2011 Port Phillip Estate Pinot Noir, Mornington Peninsula, VIC ($38)

Instructions

To make duxelles, heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook mushrooms for 4 minutes or until moisture has evaporated. Add butter, eschalot, garlic, thyme and parsley, and cook for 4 minutes or until eschalot has softened. Pour in sherry and cook for 1 minute or until evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, then process in a food processor until finely chopped. Cool. Wipe pan clean and reserve.

Heat oil in reserved pan over high heat. Season beef and cook, turning, for 8 minutes or until browned all over. Set aside to cool.

Place each pastry block between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until 3 mm thick. Spread 2 tbsp duxelles down centre of one pastry sheet. Coat beef with pâté and place on top. Top beef with remaining duxelles. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg, reserving remainder, then cover with second pastry sheet. Press edges to seal, trimming excess to leave a 3 cm border around beef. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush pastry with reserved egg and bake beef Wellington for 25 minutes for medium-rare or when internal temperature of beef reaches 55°C on a meat thermometer.

Meanwhile, to make Yorkshire pudding, place 2 tsp oil in each mould of a 4-hole (¾-cup) muffin pan. Place pan in oven with beef for 10 minutes. Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl. Place flour in a separate bowl, make a well in centre and gradually pour in egg mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk in ½ tsp salt, then transfer to a jug. Remove muffin pan from oven and carefully fill moulds three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Keep puddings warm and rest beef for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, to make gravy, place 2 tbsp stock and flour in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually pour in remaining 460 ml stock and red wine, whisking to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring, for 7 minutes or until thick. Whisk in vinegar and butter until smooth, then season. Serve beef Wellington and Yorkshire pudding with carrots, drizzled with red wine gravy.

Photography Derek Swalwell

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.