Fable Wellington by Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal harnesses the natural umami flavours of shiitake mushrooms in Fable in this plant-based spin on the British culinary classic
Preparation Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes, plus overnight to chill mixture
Cook time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Serves: 4 people
A Wellington is one of those all-time classics that takes a little time to prepare. However, as you cut through that crisp pastry, releasing beautiful aromas of onion, mushroom, Fable and tarragon, and dig into the delicious savouriness of it all, you’ll be glad you did it.
Ingredients
Wellington:
- 15g unsalted plant-based butter
- 150g shallots, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 350g portobello mushrooms, finely chopped
- 250g Fable
- 150g double cream (sub vegan if preferred)
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 20g fresh tarragon leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- Reserved spinach cakes (recipe below)
- 1 sheet/320g store-bought puff pastry
- 1 whole egg, whisked or olive oil
Spinach pancakes:
- 25g unsalted plant-based butter, plus additional to cook pancakes
- 250g baby spinach
- 70g plain flour
- 160g milk of choice
- 40g buttermilk (sub vegan if preferred)
- 1 whole egg or egg substitute
- Generous pinch of salt
Method
- Melt the butter in a large pan over moderate heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook gently until softened but not coloured, approx. 8-10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until there is little moisture remaining in the pan, this can take approx. 10 minutes. Add the Fable and the cream and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the mustard and lemon juice and cook until the mixture has thickened and reduced. Finely chop the tarragon leaves and stir into the mixture before seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and leave in the fridge, covered, to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
- Lay out a double layer of clingfilm on a clean work surface. Tip the chilled mushroom mixture onto the bottom half of the clingfilm and shape it into a log shape. Working from the bottom, use the clingfilm to gently roll the mixture up to form a tight and compact roll. Twist the ends of the clingfilm to secure. Return to the fridge to chill and firm up. (You could prepare up to this point ahead of time, even up to a day.)
- At this time, make your spinach pancakes. Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the spinach over moderate heat until wilted. Transfer the cooked spinach onto a clean tea towel and ring out any excess moisture before finely chopping. Set aside. For the pancake batter, whisk the egg, flour, milk, and buttermilk together to a smooth batter. Add the cooked spinach and season with salt. Adding small amounts of butter to a clean, non-stick pan, cook the pancakes until they are all done, adding a small amount of butter between making each one. Set aside to cool.
- To build the Wellington, roll the sheet of puff pastry out onto a sheet of baking parchment (lightly dusted with a little flour) into a rectangle, approx. 35 x 28cm. Lay the cooled pancakes on top of the pastry, slightly overlapping. Remove the clingfilm from the chilled mushroom log and place on top of the pancakes. Use the remaining pancakes to cover the mushroom mixture, ensuring it is completely encased. Working from the bottom up, roll the pastry around the mushroom log, leaving an area of pastry approx. 2cm where the ends meet. Pinch the Wellington closed to seal completely and trim off any excess pastry. Use a fork to gently score the pastry and brush all sides of the pastry with the whisked egg or olive oil. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
- To cook, preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the Wellington – along with the parchment underneath – onto a large baking tray. Bake for 35 minutes before removing and leaving to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
4 Comments
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Absolutely delicious. Worth every moment to prepare and cook.
Thanks so much for trying out our Fable Wellington recipe! Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
10/10 – excellent and worth the effort in preparing it. Certainly on my “special occasion” menu going forward and confident that meat-eaters will enjoy it as well (no more separate cooking!)
I used only vegan ingredients (No-Egg, soy milk and buttermilk and Oatly cream although I usually make my own cashew cream). Definitely follow the recipe for preparing well ahead to let the mushroom log chill sufficiently. I could not get any tarragon so used fresh thyme.
I have used Fable for a while and am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes.
Hi Christine,
Thank you so much for the beautiful feedback and review. It is music to our ears. And thank you for the suggestions also. Do let us know when you’ve had a chance to try the other recipes. Thanks!