Beef Wellington with potato and celery puree,

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 6 shallots
• 500 g mushrooms
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of chives
• 100 ml Madeira
• 100 ml cream
• 2 garlic cloves
• 600 g puff pastry
• 1 ½ kg beef fillet(s) from the middle
• Clarified butter
• butter
• 30 g veal liver sausage, fine (veal liver pate)
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• 3 egg yolks
• 600 g celeriac
• 400 g potatoes
• Milk and cream for cooking
• salt and pepper
• Oil (truffle or pumpkin seed oil)
• 2 bunch carrots (young carrots with greens, as small as possible)
• 2 packs of sugar snap peas
• 250 ml balsamic vinegar
• 100 ml red wine
• Honey
• Mustard

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours

Sugar snap peas, carrots, vegetables and red wine balsamic sauce

Fillet Wellington: Trim the fillet of tendons and skin, pat dry, and let stand at room temperature. If desired, rub the meat with garlic. Finely dice the shallots and garlic, clean and dice the mushrooms, and finely chop the parsley and chives. Sauté the shallots and garlic in the butter, then add the mushrooms and sauté until the liquid has evaporated. Then add a little Madeira wine and cream and bring to a boil over high heat. Repeat several times. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley and chives. Only now should you defrost the puff pastry. When the fat begins to smoke, sear the meat all over in hot clarified butter. The meat should only have a crust with a roasted aroma, but not yet be cooked. Remove the meat and pat dry, then season with salt and pepper. Mix the liver pâté with the crème fraîche and spread it on the fillet. Roll out the puff pastry on flour into a large rectangle. Place the fillet on the top third of the pastry and cover with the mushroom mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg yolk, then roll the meat in the puff pastry. Refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F), remove the meat from the refrigerator, and brush the top with egg yolk. Bake for about 35 minutes. To make the meat even more tender, gradually reduce the oven temperature during the cooking process. For the last 5-6 minutes, the oven temperature should be around 140°C (284°F). Possible cooking times: 1-15 minutes; 220°C (425°F), 15-25 minutes; 180°C (485°F), 26-30 minutes; 160°C (485°F), 31-35 minutes; 140°C (485°F). When the temperature reaches 55-60°C (131-140°F) in the center, the meat is cooked to perfection; otherwise, continue cooking at 140°C (285°F). Helpful hints: It’s important that the liquid from the mushrooms, Madeira wine, and cream evaporate completely! Stir constantly to prevent the mushrooms from burning. This is very important, however, so that the puff pastry stays crispy and doesn’t become soggy later when baking. Therefore, the meat should also be patted dry after roasting. Don’t defrost the puff pastry too late! Otherwise, it won’t rise as well during baking; the hour in the refrigerator also plays a large part in this. A meat thermometer for measuring the internal temperature is useful for perfectly cooking the roast. Potato and celery puree: Peel the celery and potatoes and cut into cubes. Simmer the celery in cream and milk (1:1 ratio). Stir frequently to prevent burning or foaming. Cook the potatoes in salted water. Allow the potatoes to steam off and then mash them. Puree the celery with the liquid. Mix the potato and celery puree, stir in 100g butter. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in a dash of cream if desired. For a special flavor, refine with a little truffle oil. In a pinch, pumpkin seed oil also tastes very good. Keep warm in a water bath. Helpful hints: After the celery is cooked, drain the cream. Add the right amount as needed for the puree, otherwise the puree will be too thin. Vegetables: Peel the carrots, leaving some of the leaves on the carrots for a more attractive appearance. Ideally (with small carrots), leave the vegetables whole and do not cut them. If necessary, discard the snow peas. Melt 50g butter. Add a little honey, water, and salt. Add the carrots and sauté covered. Only add the snow peas when the carrots are tender, otherwise they will become too soft and lose their fresh color. Sauté for just 1-2 minutes. Season with honey and salt. Sauce: Simmer balsamic vinegar and red wine with a little honey. Season with salt, pepper, and a little mustard. Add more balsamic vinegar and red wine, bring to a simmer, stir in 50g of cold, diced butter, and simmer briefly. Season to taste.