Gordon Ramsay’s Fillet Beef with a Gratin of Wild Mushrooms
Out of the 20-30 cookbooks clogging up our dining room there must be 5 or 6 that we come back to again and again. One of those books is Gordon Ramsay’s Secrets, which sounds all fancy but just has some fantastic recipes that are simple and classic and great for when I want to entertain friends.
I have used his fillet beef recipe so much the pages are all stained. I love it because the topping can be made the day before, and I can sear the steaks for a couple of minutes in the afternoon and pop in the fridge until later in the evening. Leaving me time to worry about preparing other things.
If you do cook the steaks and leave in the fridge, always give them 40 minutes at room temperature before topping and putting in the oven for the last 5-7 minutes. Otherwise they will still be all cold inside.
Also I don’t always have time to pick up wild mushrooms. All chestnut will work just fine!
You will need for 4:
1 shallot, finely chopped | 1 fat garlic clove, crushed | 4 tbsp. olive oil | 100g wild mushrooms and 100g chestnut mushrooms, chopped | 2 tbsp. white wine | 1 tbsp. each finely chopped parsley, chervil and chives | 4 tbsp double cream | 1 large egg yolk | 4 fillet steaks, about 180g each and 4cm high | 2 t tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese | sea salt and black pepper
How to:
-Prepare the topping ahead. Gently sauté shallot and garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil for about 5 minutes until nicely softened.
-Add a further 2 tbsp. oil and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes until browned and cooked. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced away. The mixture should be quite dry. If necessary, tip it into a sieve to drain off any remaining liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, season and mix in the herbs. Allow to cool.
– Whip the cream until softly stiff, then fold into the mushrooms along with the egg yolk. Cover and chill.
-Brush the steaks with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season them. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a strong heat rising. Cook the steaks for about 2-3 minutes, turning them to sear all over. Remove from the pan, season and allow to cool.
-When ready to serve, heat the oven to 220°C, gas 7. Put the steaks on a shallow baking tray. Pile the mushroom mixture on top of the steaks and dust with Parmesan. Cook, uncovered, for about 5-7 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden. Serve as soon as possible, with roasted or sautéed potatoes and a salad.
Recipe by Gordon Ramsay, picked by Claire
