Heart of rump in crust with lard and porcini mushrooms
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 30 min
- Cook time: 50 min
- Serving: 6
- Cost: High
- Note + the resting time of the shortcrust pastry (30 minutes)
PRESENTATION
Alright, let me tell you about this dish called Cuore di scamone in crosta con lardo e porcini. It's basically a beef fillet in crust that’s super tasty, especially in autumn. Really, it's a game-changer in Tuscany. You start with this juicy rump cap, seared to keep it tender—and I mean really tender. It's wrapped in a rosemary-infused pastry, which gives a cool Tuscan vibe to the classic beef Wellington. And listen, the pastry not only adds flair but keeps the meat moist, while the rosemary scent makes your kitchen smell amazing.
Inside, slices of lardo just melt into the beef, making it super super rich. And there's this creamy porcini mushroom layer that adds a woodsy taste—a favorite around the region. The pastry often gets dressed up with leaf-shaped cutouts for that autumn look, making it perfect for a cozy dinner.
In Tuscany, local herbs and mushrooms are everything, and this beef fillet with lard and porcini totally nails it. The porcini filling is so earthy and matches up perfectly with the salty, smooth lardo. Every bite of the beef fillet wrapped in pastry is packed with flavor. The pastry stays golden and crispy, which is great, right? And it complements the soft meat and mushrooms inside.
It’s a bit fancier than your regular roast, but it's a tasty change from the usual beef Wellington. Thanks to the brisée crust and that hit of rosemary, it’s way better. Plus, those decorative pastry leaves? They're a conversation starter, for sure. Whether for a special occasion or just because you want to dive into a dish with true Tuscan vibes, this meal is both comforting and full of rich autumn flavor. It's the kind of dish that not only tastes great but also lets you celebrate the season with friends and family in style.
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INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry
- Butter 2.6 oz (75 g) - (cold from the refrigerator)
- Type 00 flour 1 ¼ cup (150 g)
- Water 9 tsp (45 ml) - (chilled)
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- Black pepper 1 pinch
- Rosemary 1 sprig
- for the rump
- Beef 1.875 lbs (850 g) - rump
- Porcini mushrooms 7 cups (500 g)
- Colonnata lard 7 oz (200 g) - (sliced)
- Garlic 1 clove
- Fresh chili pepper 1
- Parsley 1 tuft
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp (40 g)
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- Black pepper 1 pinch
- for brushing
- Eggs 1
How to prepare Heart of rump in crust with lard and porcini mushrooms
To prepare the heart of rump in crust with lard and porcini mushrooms, start with the Easy Shortcrust Pastry. Put the sifted flour and cold butter pieces from the fridge into a food processor with blades 1. Clean the rosemary and add the leaves 2. Start the blades and blend everything until you get a sandy, floury mixture 3.
Place the mixture in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the ice-cold water gradually 4 and knead all the ingredients quickly with your hands to obtain a compact and smooth dough 5; then form a dough ball, flatten it slightly, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator wrapped in cling film 6.
In the meantime, proceed to the How to Clean Porcini Mushrooms: with a sharp knife with a smooth blade, start removing the earthy part on the stem, scraping it gently to eliminate any trace of soil 7. If the mushrooms are quite clean, remove the few soil residues with a brush or a damp cotton cloth 8 (if they are still very dirty, quickly rinse them under a stream of cold running water). Once cleaned, cut the whole mushrooms lengthwise and set them aside 9.
Next, prepare the sauté: cut the chili, remove the stalk and internal seeds, then slice it thinly 10; peel the garlic clove, cut it in half, and remove the core. In a non-stick pan, sauté the oil, garlic, and chili together with some parsley leaves 11. Add the mushrooms 12, salt and pepper to taste, then cook on high heat for 10 minutes.
Once the necessary time has elapsed, turn off the heat, place the mushrooms in a rather tall glass 13, and blend them with an immersion blender until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous cream 14. Set aside the porcini mushroom cream you obtained and proceed to cook the meat: in a pan with hot oil, sear the rump well for 3 minutes on each side, turning it gently with tongs on all sides 15.
When the rump has taken on color, turn off the heat and place it on a rack with a dish underneath to collect the excess oil. With a knife, gently spread the rump with the mushroom cream evenly on all sides 16, except the underside; remember to keep some of the porcini mushroom cream aside as it will be used as an additional garnish. After the necessary time, remove the shortcrust pastry from the refrigerator, place it on a slightly floured work surface, and roll it out with a rolling pin 17 into a sheet 1-2 mm thick and of the necessary dimensions to cover the rump. At this point, you can proceed with the composition of the rump in crust: start by placing the lard slices in the center of the sheet one beside the other vertically, to cover the length of the rump 18;
then overlap other slices to cover well the entire perimeter that will wrap the meat and then spread the remaining porcini cream on the central part. Place the meat on it 19 and start wrapping it with the lard slices, folding them gently until the whole surface is well covered 20. With your hands, wrap the shortcrust dough gently around the rump, trying to make it adhere as much as possible 21.
With a wheel or a knife, cut the excess pastry edges, which you will save for the final decorations 22, finally close the side parts well. Place the rump on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and brush the roll with a beaten egg to ensure the decorations adhere well 23. Then prepare the decorations by rolling out the leftover shortcrust pastry with a rolling pin and cutting out leaves with a cookie cutter 24;
Complete by placing all the leaves on the crust surface 25 and brush them with the egg. Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 30 minutes (or in a fan oven at 320°F for 20 minutes). Once ready and well golden 26, serve the rump in crust with lard and porcini hot 27.