Tarte Fine with Fillet of Beef, Onion Marmalade, Pecorino & Rocket
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Author:
Jane Lovett
servings
Produces 8 large squares (or many more smaller ones!)
This easy, rustic, crisp and wafer-thin pastry tart is perfect for entertaining, not least because it’s simply an assembly job when required, and an excellent way of stretching beef fillet to feed a lot of people. Fillet tails are cheaper than the middle cut, too. Good as a starter, main course, or part of a buffet, warm or at room temperature.

ingredients
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1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (preferably all-butter)
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450g beef fillet tails, trimmed
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olive oil
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½ a (325 g) jar of Caramelised Onion Marmalade or Red Onion Chutney
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2 good handfuls rocket leaves (or watercress or salad cress)
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Pecorino Romano cheese, shavings (or Parmesan or Manchego cheese shavings)
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A few capers
For the Watercress Mayonnaise
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3 heaped tbsp thick mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
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3 good handfuls watercress, any tough stalks removed discarded
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lime juice, to taste
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salt & freshly ground black pepper
directions
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet lined with silicone paper or baking parchment. Prick all over with a fork and place the sheet of paper the pastry was wrapped in over the top, followed by another flat baking sheet. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until richly golden & crispy. (Turn over if not browning in the middle, cover & cook a little longer.) Press down very hard on the top baking sheet to flatten the pastry further, then remove the sheet, plus the paper. Leave to cool.
3. Meanwhile tuck the thin end of the fillet tail/s underneath, so they’re the same thickness, secure with string and smear with a little olive oil and pouring salt. Heat a frying pan until very hot, then seal the fillet well on all sides. 5–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and leave to rest somewhere warm for 15–20 minutes. (Or leave to cool.)
4. For the watercress mayonnaise, process the mayonnaise and watercress together, then add lime juice and seasoning to taste. Thin with a little warm water if necessary. Put into a serving bowl and set aside.
5. Transfer the pastry to a board and spread thinly and evenly with onion chutney. Slice the beef thinly, tear each slice into manageable pieces and arrange on top of the onion in a wavy pattern. Mix the rocket leaves with a smidge of olive oil and seasoning and scatter over the beef, followed by Pecorino shavings, a few capers and a final swirl of olive oil. Cut into the required number of slices and serve as is, or transfer to a serving platter, with the mayonnaise.
Recipe Note
Get-Ahead:
Cook Step 2 up to 3 days in advance, wrap in cling film and keep somewhere cool. Alternatively, cook well in advance, freeze, and freshen up in the oven for a few minutes on the day.
Step 3 can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and either re-heated or served at room temperature.
Step 4 can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Hints & Tips:
Alternative sauces - Foaming Béarnaise, Romesco Sauce, Roast Red Pepper Sauce, and Horseradish Mayonnaise are delicious alternatives. Or use crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt as a sauce base for different flavourings. Sometimes I like to blitz parsley and tarragon leaves into watercress mayo.
A few roughly chopped, or sliced, pickled walnuts are very good nestled into the beef.
A little quick pickled red onion is good strewn over the beef.
Roasted baby beets are a lovely accompaniment.
Baba Ganoush is a tasty alternative to the red onion chutney.
For fewer people, make individual tarts and keep the spare cooked pastry wrapped in cling film or freeze it until needed.