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Beef Fillet with Beef Bonbons, Wild Mushrooms and Fennel

By M&S Food
TV cook Rosemary Shrager creates a showstopper dinner-party recipe for Signature Wweek on Cooking With The Stars, the TV cookery show brought to you by M&S Food. Tender beef fillet served with crispy, mustard-infused…
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Time and servings

Total time
Servings
Prep time
Cooking time

Ingredients

27 total
  • 200g lean beef mince
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
  • ½ tsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp english mustard
  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 200g panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 slices smoked bacon, chopped
  • 1 small leek, chopped
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp juniper berries, crushed
  • 300ml red wine
  • 800ml beef stock, allow for extra
  • 3 tbsp blackcurrant jelly
  • 100g unsalted butter, 50g cold and cubed, plus 2 tbsp
  • 2 bulbs fennel, quartered
  • 30g soft brown sugar
  • 50ml chicken stock
  • 4 beef fillet steaks
  • 1 thyme sprig
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 litre sunflower oil
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100g mixed exotic mushrooms, halved if large
  • 100g watercress leaves, picked

Method

8 steps

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/ gas 6. To make the beef bonbons, put the mince, 1 crushed garlic clove, chopped rosemary, chopped thyme, cornflour and mustard into a bowl, season, mix well and roll into small balls the size of a large walnut. Chill for 15 mins.

  2. Step 2

    Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Dip the beef bonbons in first the flour, then egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Place on a tray, cover and chill until ready to cook.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat a medium pan then sauté the bacon and leek for 3-4 mins. Add the vinegar and deglaze for 1 min. Add the juniper berries and wine. Reduce to a syrup, add the stock and blackcurrant jelly and stir until it starts to thicken. Sieve the sauce and return to the pan. Whisk in 50g cold butter over a high heat and season well. Keep warm.

  4. Step 4

    For the fennel: Melt 2 tbsp butter in a shallow oven-proof saucepan. Sear the fennel on both sides over a medium heat. When browned, add the brown sugar and the stock. Season well and place in the oven. Bake for 15 mins until golden and the sauce is syrupy.

  5. Step 5

    For the beef fillet: Melt 25g butter in a large frying pan. When the pan is very hot, add the beef fillet steaks. Sear on both sides, then add the remaining 25g butter, thyme sprig, 1 remaining crushed garlic clove and some salt, freshly ground black pepper and the lemon juice. Keep basting for about 5 mins until it’s medium rare. Rest on a plate for 10 mins covered in foil.

  6. Step 6

    Now back to the beef bonbons: Heat the oil in a wok until the temperature reaches 180°C, then cook the bonbons, in batches, for 4-5 mins or until golden brown. Drain on a wire rack set over a baking tray.

  7. Step 7

    For the garnish, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. When it’s very hot, add the mushrooms along with some seasoning. Cook over a high heat for 2-3 mins.

  8. Step 8

    Serve the steaks with the fennel, wild mushrooms, and bonbons. Add a little of the sauce to each plate and serve the rest in a jug. Finish with a garnish of watercress.