Valentine's Beef Wellington is perfect for sharing with your loved one, and can be prepared in advance and put in the freezer till your next special occasion.

There is no need to make it it all at once, as the pancakes and the mushroom mixture can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

You can also swap the beef for venison.

Method

400g beef fillet, in one piece

1shallot, finely diced

1garlic clove, crushed

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stalk

225g chestnut mushrooms, finely diced

3tbsp double cream

50ml sherry

1tsp lemon juice

6 slices Parma ham

1kg puff pastry

1egg yolk, beaten

 

Pancakes

2 large free range eggs, beaten

125g plain white flour

250ml cold milk

1tbs horseradish sauce, optional

1tsp fresh thyme, leaves removed from stalks

Seasoning Oil for frying

 

First, make the pancakes. Put the flour into a bowl then add the beaten eggs, milk, herbs and seasoning beat well to get a thin batter. Cover and rest in the refrigerator for 2hours. Heat a pancake pan with a little oil and ladle a small amount of batter into the pan. Swirl around to cover the base of the pan and cook the pancakes on both sides until golden. Place the cooked pancakes between sheets of greaseproof paper and keep covered in the refrigerator until required.

Heat a heavy frying pan with a little oil until hot. Season the meat on all sides, sear the meat until brown all over including the edges. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and sauté gently, add the diced mushrooms with the lemon juice and cook until softened, add the sherry and reduce by half, stir in the cream and reduce until thickened. Take out and leave to cool.

Lay three layers of cling film on to a board, large enough to cover the meat. Place six pancakes on top to form a cover for the meat. Place the parma ham on top of the pancakes and then spread on the mushroom mixture. Put the seared meat in the middle and roll up making sure that the meat is fully covered by the pancakes. Twist the cling film tightly to help form the shape and refrigerate for at least three hours to set.

Once set, roll out the pastry large enough to cover the parcel, trim the edges to neaten them. Remove the cling film from the parcel and place the parcel in the centre of the puff pastry, seam side up. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg yolk and bring them up around the parcel to completely cover. Smooth the edges and seal with water. Turn the parcel over and place on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper. Cut out heart shapes from the pastry trimming and place down the centre of the parcel, sealing with water. Brush with egg yolk and chill until required.

Heat a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper in the centre of a hot oven 180c. Place the parcel directly onto the hot baking sheet and cook for approx. 25 mins until the pastry is golden. Leave to rest before serving.