Congratulations to Alex Morte, Head Chef Chelsea Court Place

Thought to be named in homage to the Duke of Wellington, who lead the British Army to victory during the famous Battle of Waterloo, Beef Wellington has become a luxury staple sure to take crowning glory at any celebratory banquet.

Alex shares his Jubilee Beef Wellington Recipe for all to enjoy this Jubilee weekend: 

Ingredients 
900g of Beef Fillet, cleaned
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of thyme, chopped
2 tbsp of Dijon mustard 
Salt 
Pepper 

Mushroom duxelle 
300g of chestnut mushroom, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
2 garlic, chopped
100ml of Madeira
4 tbsp of double cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper

Pancakes
150g of plain flour
2 eggs 
140ml of milk
Olive oil

To Wrap the Beef 
8 slices Parma Ham 
400g of puff pastry 

Egg Glaze 
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Method:

1. Season the beef fillet thoroughly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and, once the pan is nice and hot, add the beef, sprinkling over the chopped thyme. Sear the fillet, turning it every 1-2 minutes to ensure that all sides are coloured. Remove the beef once the outside has browned but the centre is still rare. Coat with the Pommery mustard and leave to rest in the fridge.
2. For the mushroom duxelle, melt the butter in the same pan, then add the chopped mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to one side.
3. Soften the chopped shallots and garlic in the same pan, then add the mushrooms back in and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the Madeira, bringing it to the boil and then reduce the amount of liquid by half. Add the cream and stir until the mixture has thickened and is beginning to darken. Season with salt and pepper and leave to one side
4. For the pancakes, make a smooth batter by whisking the milk, eggs and flour together. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan. When it is hot, add the right amount of batter to make a very thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Cook until golden on the underside, then flip the pancake over and cook the other side. Repeat this process until all the batter has been used and set the cooked pancakes to one side
5. Place a sheet of cling film onto a board and lay 3 pancakes onto it. Ensure that the pancakes fully cover the cling film, overlapping where necessary. Add a single layer of Parma Ham on top of the pancakes and spread the mushroom duxelle evenly over the Parma ham. Lie the beef on top and wrap the pancakes, parma ham and mushrooms tightly around the beef fillet and Leave in the fridge to rest, overnight if possible.
6. Roll out the puff pastry into a thin sheet about 1/4 cm thick – it will need to be rolled thinner if the pastry is pre- rolled.
7. Remove the wrapped beef from the fridge, take out of the cling film and place on top of the pastry. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash, roll up and seal.
8. Cook the Wellington in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, the pastry should be golden brown and the internal temperature should be about 49-52°C. Remove the Wellington from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes. 

Enjoy this regal feast!