Cheat’s Wellington with Jameson Jus.
Want something really impressive that doesn’t require a whole lot of skill and even less time? This is it! I have seen Beef Wellington made numerous times but I have never made it. I’m not willing to risk cooking a large fillet of beef to serve to a number of people whose tastes for rareness will differ and how can you please them all? You could say I’m afraid. I made one portion of this earlier on today to catch the best light for photography and this evening I cooked it again for 5 of us. We’re in a very straggly phase of dining here with teens coming and going and the tardy boys will just have to cook their own later.
With ingredients that truly sing, this is a 5 Star dining experience at home that can be on the table in under 30 minutes leaving you plenty of time to pick an indulgent red wine to accompany.
The Jameson Jus came about, like many things do, because necessity is the mother of invention –Jameson was the only thing to hand to deglaze the pan, but it works wonderfully with the steak.
Cheat’s Wellington with Jameson Jus
Serves 2
You will need:
2 Irish beef fillet steaks
200g mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
50g salted butter
1 tsp dried thyme
White wine (optional)
2 large puff pastry vol-au-vent cases, frozen
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 Irish beef fillet steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp Jameson whiskey
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
Method:
Preheat a fan oven to 200°C.
Take the steaks out of the fridge and set aside.
Finely chop the mushrooms and the onion. Peel and crush the garlic. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften, then add the crushed garlic. Raise the heat to medium and stir to combine for 1 minute, then add the butter. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms and dried thyme with a good splash of white wine if you like. Mix well and leave to cook for 20 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally.
While the mushrooms are cooking, place a baking tray in the hot oven for 1 minute. Take it out and place the frozen pastry cases on the hot tray. Brush the outer edges of the pastry with the beaten egg yolk. Cook the pastry cases according to the packet instructions, turn the tray halfway through the cooking time.
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick griddle pan or frying pan without any oil over a high heat. Place the steaks on a plate, drizzle them with the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. As my steaks are generally quite thick, I like to cook them for 3 minutes on each side for medium-rare and then turn them onto the edges to sear the sides, holding them steady with a cooking tongs as I turn them all the way around. Once the steaks are cooked, transfer them to a wooden board to rest. For at least 5 minutes before slicing so they stay juicy.
Deglaze the steak pan by turning the heat to high and splashing in the Jameson and 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Turn the heat off but leave pan on the hob until you’re ready to serve.
Once the pastry cases are golden and well risen, remove them from the oven and fill with the mushroom mixture. Serve with sliced fillet steak, a drizzle of Jameson jus and a scattering of finely chopped fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.
p.s. 7 more recipes until Christmas!!!