HOW TO MAKE EGGWASH RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat. Rub the beef all over with sea salt and black pepper. Pour a good lug of oil into the pan, then add the beef, 1 knob of butter and 1 sprig of rosemary.
  2. Sear the beef for 4 minutes in total, turning regularly with tongs, then remove to a plate.
  3. Wipe out the pan and return to a medium heat. Peel the onion and garlic, then very finely chop with the mushrooms and put into the pan with the remaining knob of butter and another lug of oil.
  4. Strip in the rest of the rosemary leaves and cook for 15 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise, stirring regularly.
  5. Toss the livers and Worcestershire sauce into the pan and cook for another few minutes, then tip the contents onto a large board and drizzle with the truffle oil (if using).
  6. Finely chop it all by hand with a big knife, to a rustic, spreadable consistency. Taste and season to perfection, then stir in the breadcrumbs (you can use pancakes to line the pastry and absorb the juices, but I prefer using breadcrumbs like this).
  7. Preheat the oven to 210°C/425°F/gas 7.
  8. On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. With one of the longer edges in front of you, spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 5cm gap at either end and at the edge furthest away from you – eggwash these edges.
  9. Sit the beef on the pâté then, starting with the edge nearest to you, snugly wrap the pastry around the beef, pinching the ends to seal.
  10. Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, with the pastry seal at the base, and brush all over with eggwash (you can prep to this stage, then refrigerate until needed – just get it out 1½ hours before cooking so it’s not fridge-cold).
  11. When you’re ready to cook, heat the tray on the hob for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven and cook for 40 minutes for blushing, juicy beef – the two end portions will be more cooked, but usually some people prefer that.
  12. For the gravy, peel and roughly chop the onions and put into a large pan on a medium heat with a lug of oil and the thyme leaves. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the jam and simmer until shiny and quite dark.
  13. Add the Madeira, flame with a match, cook away, then stir in the mustard and flour, gradually followed by the stock. Simmer to the consistency you like, then blend with a stick blender and pass through a sieve, or leave chunky.
  14. Once cooked, rest the Wellington for 5 minutes, then serve in 2cm-thick slices with the gravy and steamed greens.

Steps:

• 1. Slice the beef into 2.5cm chunks, then toss with the flour and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  2. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil into a large pan on a medium heat, then brown the beef all over. Remove to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat.
  3. Peel and roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery. Add to the pan with the bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften, stirring occasionally. Remove to the plate with the meat.
  4. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into 1cm cubes. Pour the wine into the empty pan and leave it to reduce by half, then add the meat and softened veg back to the pan, along with the potatoes.
  5. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender, adding splashes of water to loosen, if needed. Once cooked, season to perfection and leave to cool.
  6. For the pastry, put the flour and a good pinch of sea salt into a food processor, cube and add the butter, then pulse until just combined. Pick and roughly chop the herb leaves, add to the processor with 100ml of ice-cold water, and pulse again until it forms a rough dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and lightly oil a 20cm loose-bottomed round cake tin.
  8. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry on a clean flour-dusted surface to 2mm thick. Loosely roll it around the rolling pin and unroll it over the cake tin, gently easing it into the shape of the tin. Patch up any holes and trim the edges.
  9. Spoon in two-thirds of the cooled filling (freeze the rest and serve as a stew another day). Crumble over the Stilton and brush the pastry edges with beaten egg.
  10. Roll out the remaining pastry so it’s slightly bigger than the tin and top the pie, crimping the edges to seal. Make a small incision in the centre so steam can escape. Use any spare pastry to decorate the pie, if you like.
  11. Eggwash the top, then bake at the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pastry is golden and the pie is piping hot. Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then serve up. Delicious with creamy mash, extra gravy and steamed seasonal greens.