Fillet of Beef Wellington

To shape the steak, roll the fillet of beef steak into a uniform tube shape and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours in order for the meat to retain its shape when cooking.

To make the duxelle, blitz the onions and mushrooms in a blender to fine cubes. Gently fry in the butter with salt and pepper for 7-8 minutes until softened, but not coloured and allow to cool.

Take out the meat from the fridge and let it rest and come up to room temperature. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. In a very hot pan with olive oil, flash-sear the fillet steak on all sides for just one minute on each side. This helps the cooking process in two ways: firstly, the crusty and slightly charred surface provides flavour and secondly, as the edges of the steak seize up, it helps to keep the meat juices in. Allow the steak to cool.

Place the pastry sheet on a lightly floured work surface sideways and double check that the sheet is wide enough to cover the length of the fillet steak. Place the two pancakes so that the top half of the pancakes overlap the bottom half of the pastry sheet. The pancakes act as a barrier between the steak and the puff pastry sheet to prevent any meat juices seeping into the pastry and thus, making it soggy.

Spread the foie gras on to the pancakes, and then the onion and mushroom mixture on top of the foie gras. Now position the seared fillet steak on top of the duxelle mixture with the top of the steak facing down.

Begin rolling the beef Wellington together by bringing the bottom of the pancakes over the steak and then continuing to roll the steak on to the lower half of the pastry sheet.

At this stage, brush the edges of the pastry sheet with some of the beaten egg.

Fold the top half of the pastry sheet over the steak and pancake roll towards you, ensuring that there is a snug fit all the way around. With the back of a fork, make slight indentations around the steak roll to aid the two layers of the pastry to stick together. Cut off any excess pastry with a sharp knife. Place the beef Wellington onto a baking sheet, cover with a clean tea cloth and chill for at least 30 minutes, or until you are ready to cook it.

When you are, pre-heat the oven to 190?C, brush the whole beef Wellington with the beaten egg and bake on the top shelf for 25-30 minutes. Allow to rest in a warm area for ten minutes and carve at a diagonal angle to serve. You should be able to clearly see the pink steak and the different layers of foie gras, duxelle, pancakes and the golden crusty puff pastry.

Serve on warmed plates with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables and a drizzle of port jus.