The home chef’s recipe: Dr Karen Soh’s beef Wellington

With a clinic, four school-going children, and charity work, it’s no surprise that Dr Karen Soh’s schedule is hectic.

But as Covid-19 took over and slowed businesses across industries, the aesthetic doctor found more time to indulge the family in the kitchen. When asked to share her favourite dish, she picked the beef Wellington. “The recipe was adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s, which I found online,” says Soh, who is also a fan of American chef and restauranteur Thomas Keller. “But we’ve tweaked it to make it special and unique for us after trying it multiple times.”

“It’s a meal that takes time and effort to prepare and we always have it on special occasions,” she adds. “My children and husband love it! This dish also impressed my mother-in-law! It makes a great gift, and we made it during the Circuit Breaker to share with friends to let them know that we care.”

Soh recommends pairing the beef Wellington, typically made over two days, with roasted root vegetables with balsamic glaze, garden salad, bearnaise sauce and some whipped cream with horseradish. “We had a Petrus 1992 with this the last time I made it and it was sublime,” she added.

Ingredients (serves six)

800g beef fillet, preferably Tajima wagyu
Olive oil, for frying
500g mixture of Swiss brown mushrooms, cleaned
1 thyme sprig, leaves only
500g puff pastry
8 slices of Proscuitto ham
2 egg yolks, beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the red wine sauce
50ml red sherry vinegar
200g beef trimmings (ask the butcher to reserve these when trimming the fillet)
4 large shallots, peeled and sliced
12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 thyme sprig
1 x 750ml bottle red wine
750ml beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Trim fillets to a uniform shape (or ask your butcher to do it). Tie with twine 5 cm apart to hold shape
2. Sear the beef fillets in a hot pan quickly with a little olive oil for 30-60 seconds until brown on the outside and rare in the middle. Remove from the pan and leave them to cool. Wrap the fillets tightly in cling film when cooled and chill them in the fridge for at least one hour
3. Finely chop the mushrooms and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil, thyme leaves and some seasoning. As the mushrooms begin to release their juices, continue to cook over a high heat for about 10 minutes until all the excess moisture has evaporated. You’ll be left with a mushroom paste, known as a duxelle. Deglaze with one cup of white wine and cook until dry. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the duxelle from the pan and leave to it cool
4. Cut pastry in half, place on a lightly floured surface and roll each piece into a rectangle large enough to envelop one beef fillet. Chill them in the refrigerator
5. Lay a large sheet of cling film on a work surface and place eight slices of Proscuitto ham in the middle, overlapping them slightly, to create a square. Spread half the duxelle evenly over the ham
6. Season the beef fillets, then place them on top of the mushroom-covered ham. With the cling film, roll the Parma ham over the beef, then roll and tie the cling film to get a nice, evenly thick log. Chill the log thoroughly in the fridge
7. Brush the pastry with egg wash. Remove the cling film from the beef, then wrap the pastry around each ham-wrapped fillet. Trim the pastry and brush all over with egg wash again. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes
8. Roll out another sheet of puff pastry big enough to cover the top of the roll. With a pastry cutter, cut patterns on the pastry. Brush the top of the roll with egg wash, apply the patterned puff pastry on top of the roll and decorate as desired with herbs. Chill for 30 mins
9. In the meantime, make the red wine sauce. Saute beef trimmings or fat for a few minutes until brown on all sides. Stir in the shallots, peppercorns, bay and thyme. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots turn golden brown
10. Pour vinegar and let it bubble for a few minutes until almost dry. Now, add the wine and boil until it’s almost completely reduced. Add stock and bring to the boil again. Lower heat and simmer gently for 1 hour, removing any scum from the surface of the sauce, until you have the desired consistency. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Check for seasoning and set aside
11. When you are ready to cook the beef Wellington, score the pastry lightly and brush with the egg wash again, then bake at 200°C/Gas 6 for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving
12. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce. Serve the beef in slices, with the sauce as an accompaniment

(Main and featured image: Micky Wong)