Masterchef UK Professionals
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Fillet of Beef with Pepián Sauce
Fillet of Beef with Pepián Sauce, Mushrooms Two Ways, Grilled Onions and Jus.
Sel's main course was inspired by his time working in the UK, combining British beef with Guatemalan flavours. He cooked a fillet of beef, seared to achieve a caramelised exterior, and served it with grilled onions infused in beef fat. The mushrooms were prepared two ways: king oyster cooked with butter and thyme, and shiitake with soy, honey and vinegar. The centrepiece sauce was a pepián — a traditional Guatemalan sauce similar to romesco, made with nuts, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, paprika and coriander, with a generous amount of almonds for a nutty texture. A jus accompanied the dish.
{Sel}: "For your main, I have cooked fillet of beef, onions infusing beef fat, mushrooms two ways. One of them is cooked with butter and thyme, and the other one is with soy, honey, and a little bit of vinegar. Pepián is made of nuts, peppers and tomatoes, garlic."
{Marcus}: "Pepián sauce is pretty much like in the style of romesco. So we've got bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and coriander, but a lot of almonds going into it. So it's going to have a really lovely nutty texture. He's not going crazy, which I think is a very wise thing. Less is more, but do it well."
{Monica}: "Beautiful piece of meat with a beef fillet. There is no fat, so it's going to beautifully caramelise around the outside."
{Jimi Famurewa}: "This is probably the most beautiful beef, onions and mushrooms I've ever seen."
{Tom Parker Bowles}: "The fillet, gorgeously cooked, beautifully seasoned, soft, buttery, tender, well rested. Great char on the outside of it. And the pepián sauce — bright, herbal, complex, thick. I could just drink a pint of it."
{Jimi Famurewa}: "The mushrooms with soy, they've got this really juicy, meaty texture. So full of flavours. Adding that umami element with the beef. And then the pepián, which is just wild because you've got nuts and you've got this garlic and you've got this heat in there. Just so good."
{Leyla Kazim}: "That pepián sauce — it's like a romesco that's gone off to Guatemala and got better. But more than that, it has his soul in it. It's a cracking good dish."
{Monica}: "That beef is just beautifully cooked. That took a lot of skill, and I love that there's still a hint of his personality coming through in this cooking."
{Marcus}: "Two fabulous courses. To cook that quality in that kitchen, for those critics, is exceptional." In the final summary,
{Monica}: "Followed by a main course inspired by his time working in the UK. I saw two very strong dishes here from Sel's menu. Really rustic presentation, but both dishes, delicious."
{Marcus}: "He's given us such beautiful flavour combinations. It was an absolute treat."
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