Clement's Veal Wellington by Les Bistronomes

Ingredients

400 g veal backstrap, trimmed
1 sheet puff pastry
1 jar English mustard
Egg wash
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Crepes:

190 g flour
250 ml milk
2 eggs
1 Tbs parsley, chopped
1 Tbschervil, chopped
Salt and pepper, to season

Mushroom Duxelle:

500 g button mushrooms, sliced
100 g baby spinach
200 g foie gras or duck liver pate
1 clove of garlic, crushed

Method

Veal:

Roll the meat in a large sheet of cling wrap, twisting the ends tightly to form a uniform cylinder, then set in the fridge overnight.

Place some vegetable oil in a heavy-based pan over a high heat. Remove the veal from the cling film, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and seal the outside of the meat to a caramelised brown colour. Remove from the pan, allow to cool slightly, then smear the meat with English mustard. Marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.

Crepes:

Whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. Place a large frypan over a high heat with some oil. Pour a small amount of crepe batter into the centre of the pan and rotate to thinly cover the whole surface.

Fry until bubbles begin to form, flip and finish cooking. Continue with the rest of the batter, then set the crepes aside. You will only use 1 or 2 crepes for the wellington, the rest can be enjoyed as a dish themselves.

Mushroom Duxelle:

Place some oil in a frypan over a medium-high heat and fry the mushrooms until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then wilt through the spinach. Season to taste, then strain to remove any excess moisture. Place in a food processor with the foie gras and pulse to a chunky paste.

To Assemble the Wellington:

Place a large sheet of cling film onto a bench and spray with oil. Lay the sheet of puff pastry on top, then place a large crepe in the centre of the pastry. Trim the edges of the crepe if they overlap, as you’ll need some pastry showing at both ends to stick it together.

Evenly spread the mushroom duxelle over the crepe to half a centimetre thick.

Place the veal in the centre, then using the cling film, carefully roll the pastry, crepe and mushroom over the veal. Brush the edge of the pastry with egg wash and seal the pastry around the meat. Fold in the edges, then roll the whole wellington in cling film to a cylindrical shape, twisting the edges tightly. Set in the fridge for 1 hour.

To Cook:

Preheat an oven to 200C. Brush the wellington with egg wash, then mark the outside with the back of a fork. Place the wellington onto a tray and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with a drizzle of rich red wine jus.

Recipe provided by Les Bistronomes

Photo Credits: Tess Godkin for The Capital Cookbook 3