Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Modern Australian
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Beef

New beef wellington

INGREDIENTS

2 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 tablespoon milk
4 x 200g beef eye fillet steaks, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
200g baby spinach leaves
120g tub chicken liver pâté

sauce
1 cup (250ml) beef consommé or stock
¾ cup (120g) dried currants
½ cup (125ml) malmsey (Australian madeira)

mixed mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
20g unsalted butter
100g shiitake mushrooms, halved
100g Swiss brown mushrooms, quartered
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped French tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme sprigs
30g trimmed enoki mushrooms

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Cut four 9cm rounds from one of the pastry sheets. Place pastry on oven tray lined with baking paper; brush with a little of the combined egg and milk. With the other puff pastry sheet, cut 4 rounds using a 9cm cutter; cut centre from rounds using a 6cm cutter to form rings. Place rings on top of pastry rounds on tray, brush with a little more egg mixture. Prick the inside base of the pastry with a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, preheat a char-grill pan (or non-stick frying pan or barbecue). Brush the steaks with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook steaks over high heat until well browned on both sides. Transfer steaks to an oven tray, bake for about 5 to 10 minutes or until done as desired. Cover, stand for 10 minutes.

sauce: Bring stock, currants and malmsey to the boil in a medium saucepan; simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until thickened slightly. Blend until smooth. Press mixture through a fine sieve; season to taste with salt and pepper.

mixed mushrooms: Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan; add shiitake and Swiss brown mushrooms, garlic and herbs; cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender. Add enoki mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

In the same mushroom pan, add spinach; cook over a medium heat until just wilted.

Place pastry cases on four serving plates. Divide mushrooms evenly among pastry cases. Serve with steaks topped with a spoonful of pâté and spinach; drizzle plate with Sauce.