Beef Fillet Wrapped in Mushroom Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 500 g puff pastry (frozen)
• 400 g Mushrooms
• 3 shallots
• 2 EL Butter
• 40 ml Madeira wine
• 3 EL heavy cream
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 EL freshly chopped parsley
• 1.5 kg beef fillet (trimmed and center cut)
• 2 EL vegetable oil
• 6 slices cured ham
• 2 egg yolks

Instructions

1. 1.

   Allow the puff pastry to thaw while you clean and dice the mushrooms, peel and finely chop the shallots. Sauté the shallots in hot butter until translucent, add the mushrooms and cook slowly until liquid evaporates. Stir in Madeira wine and heavy cream, let it reduce over high heat, season with salt and pepper, fold in parsley, and let the mixture cool.

2. 2.

   Wash the beef fillet, pat dry, season with salt and pepper, then sear all sides in hot oil before removing from the pan.

3. 3.

   Lay cured ham slices on plastic wrap, slightly overlapping to create a large enough area. Spread some mushroom mixture over the lower quarter of the wrap and place the fillet on top. Brush around the edges with remaining mushrooms and use the wrap to encase the fillet within the ham slices.

4. 4.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan‑forced.

5. 5.

   Roll the puff pastry into a large rectangle, place the wrapped fillet on it, brush the edges with an egg yolk, then fold the pastry tightly around the fillet. Press the edges firmly so everything is sealed; trim any uneven parts. Score the top of the pastry several times. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix the remaining egg yolk with 1–2 EL water and brush over the pastry. Bake for about 40 minutes until golden. Let rest briefly before slicing.

6. 6.

   Serve with a fresh salad if desired.