Beef wellingtons

Perfectly cooked beef, mushrooms and flaky pastry make the best beef wellington. Make these individual versions for a special occasion or just for special family and friends

Ingredients

• beef fillet steaks 4 small, trimmed
• olive oil
• shallot 1, finely chopped
• butter
• chestnut mushrooms 200g, finely chopped
• thyme a couple of sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped
• puff pastry 300g
• parma ham 8 slices
• egg 1, beaten to glaze

Intructions

1. Heat a frying pan until very hot. Rub the steaks all over with olive oil and season well. Sear for a minute on each side, then remove from the pan and leave to cool completely.
2. Cook the shallot in a knob of butter until soft, add the mushrooms and thyme, then season and cook, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms will give out a bit of water, so keep cooking them until there is no moisture left in the pan. Leave to cool.
3. Roll out the pastry to 20p-thickness. Cut out 4 circles that are 2½cm larger than the fillets, and 4 more circles that are 3½cm larger. Sit the smaller circles on a baking sheet.

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