Recipe: Beef Wellington with mushroom duxelles and creamed spinach

This beef Wellington recipe incorporates American flavour from Swift & Sons, Chicago

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the creamed spinach

• 900g baby spinach
• 11g butter
• 227g diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 30g plain flour
• 180ml white wine
• 60ml chicken stock
• 600ml whole milk
• 600ml double cream
• ¼tsp ground nutmeg
• 1tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1tsp Tabasco sauce

For the mushroom duxelles

• 60ml vegetable oil
• 455g finely minced button mushrooms
• 85g finely minced yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 180ml white wine
• 120ml double cream
• 1½tsp salt
• 1tsp ground black pepper
• 1½tsp sherry vinegar

For the beef Wellington

• 3tbs canola oil
• 2 centre-cut 284g filet mignons
• 2tbs Dijon mustard
• 3tbs mushroom duxelles (see above)
• 3tbs creamed spinach (see above)
• 2 sheets bought puff pastry, cut into two 17cm circles (poke a small hole in the centre of the larger circles to allow for venting) and two 10cm circles
• 2 eggs, beaten with 2tbs double cream, for the egg wash

To make the creamed spinach, bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare a bowl of ice and water. Add the spinach to the boiling water, leave it for 10 seconds to wilt, then transfer to the ice water. Place the spinach in a colander with a weighted bowl atop to press out any water and reserve.

Melt the butter in a straight-sided pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened without any colour, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and whisk thoroughly. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for five minutes, until no dry flour or lumps remain. Add the white wine and chicken stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 30 to 45 minutes. Add the milk and cream, then cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching at the bottom, until the liquid has reduced by a third, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Blend the sauce for about one minute, until smooth. Add a pinch of salt, if needed.

Chill the sauce completely in a wide pan or bowl in the fridge (before mixing with the spinach to prevent any browning of the greens). Wring out any additional moisture from the reserved spinach.

Mix the spinach with half of the sauce to start, adding more, if needed, to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can make the spinach up to a day ahead. You'll use three tablespoons for the Wellington assembly and serve the rest as a side. To make the mushroom duxelles, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and sear for three to five minutes (do not touch during this time). Stir in the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about five minutes. Add the white wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, five to seven minutes. Add the cream, salt, and pepper, and still over medium-high heat and stirring occasionally, bring to a simmer. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vinegar.

Spread the duxelles on a sheet pan and chill completely in the fridge until ready to serve. You can make the duxelles up to a day ahead. You'll use three tablespoons for the Wellington assembly and serve the rest as a side.

To make the Wellingtons, place a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until it is just beginning to smoke, then add the fillets and sear for three minutes on each side, or until both sides are deeply browned. Remove the fillets from the pan, rub them with the mustard, and cool completely.

Place the fillets on a cutting board and top them with the creamed spinach and then the mushroom duxelles. You should now have a fillet on the bottom, creamed spinach in the middle, and mushroom duxelles on top. For each Wellington, place the topped fillets in the centre of the 10cm puff pastry circle. Gently drape the 17cm puff pastry circle over the fillet, pressing the top layer of pastry into the smaller base to seal along the edges of the fillet. Trim any excess puff pastry and discard.

Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg wash all over the outside of the puff pastry. Do not wash the bottom.

Transfer the assembled beef Wellingtons onto a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and store in the fridge until ready to serve, up to three hours ahead, or proceed to cooking.

To cook, preheat the oven to 220°C. Bake the beef Wellington for 25 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and the beef is warmed all the way through. Insert an instant-read thermometer and check for desired doneness (55°C to 60°C for medium-rare to medium, respectively), accounting for 3°C temperature variance, because the Wellington needs to rest and will continue to cook outside the oven. Allow the Wellingtons to rest for 10 minutes before serving. While the Wellingtons rest, warm the remaining creamed spinach and mushrooms, taste, and season with salt if needed.

Serve the Wellingtons with the creamed spinach and mushrooms on the side.

Eater: 100 Essential Restaurant Recipes by Hillary Dixler Canavan (Abrams, £26)