A whole beef fillet coated in mustard, wrapped in a dark mushroom duxelles and Parma ham, then encased in golden puff pastry.
Prep
1h
Cook
40 mins
Servings
6
Per serving
£5.35
Difficulty
hard
This is the centrepiece I pull out for a proper celebration dinner - the mushroom layer needs to be cooked out until completely dry, or the pastry underneath will turn soggy.
Season the beef fillet well. Heat the oil in a large frying pan until very hot and sear the beef on all sides for about 4 minutes total, until browned all over. Remove and leave to cool, then brush all over with the mustard.
In the same pan, cook the mushrooms, garlic and thyme over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until all the moisture has evaporated and you're left with a dry, dark paste. Season and leave to cool completely.
Lay a large sheet of clingfilm on the work surface and arrange the Parma ham slices in an overlapping rectangle, large enough to wrap the beef.
Spread the mushroom duxelles evenly over the ham, then place the mustard-coated beef in the centre. Use the clingfilm to roll the ham tightly around the beef, twisting the ends to seal. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry to a rectangle large enough to fully encase the beef. Unwrap the beef from the clingfilm and place it in the centre of the pastry.
Brush the pastry edges with beaten egg yolk, fold up and over to seal completely, trimming excess pastry. Turn seam-side down, brush all over with egg yolk, and score a light pattern on top. Chill for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Bake for 35-40 minutes for medium-rare, until the pastry is deep golden - use a meat thermometer if you have one, aiming for 50-52C in the centre.
Rest for 10-15 minutes before carving into thick slices.