This is my second ever attempt. First time I made it was long time ago, the beef was bloody, it was all mess. Last week, while watching people on “Great British Bake Off” making those gorgeous things I thought- I want one.
First of all, I’ve researched it, before I even went shopping. I chose Ramsay’s recipe and once again I have to admit, the fucker knows what he’s on about. I followed the recipe and I’ve given myself 8 out of 10. 🙂
First, I seared my fillet, well seasoned, the roasted it off in the oven, aiming for something in between medium rare to medium. While the cow was in the oven, I panfried some finely chopped cup mushrooms with a shallot and some porcini, plus some fresh thyme for flavour. Then, following the advice from The Bake Off, I made sure my beef was nicely chilled before I wrapped it in prosciutto, cuddled in the mushrooms and finally wrapped in the puff pastry. I chilled the whole thing while waiting for Florek to come home, then gave it a nice make up of the egg and baked it in 200 degrees for 25 minutes. Now, important conclusion; the beef must be cooked to one’s liking BEFORE it goes into the pastry, because, as I learned today, even though it’s baked for nearly half an hour, it’s the pastry that cooks, not the beef. Florek said if it had been a bit more cooked, he would have given the dish 9 out of 10. But it was a bit too pink for him, so only 7. I, on the other hand was happy and ate the lot. I was surprised at how beautifully soft the meat was. I served it with some roasted veg. Pleased. 🙂