Sunday, February 22, 2009

Culinary Creations: British Sausage Rolls (With a Twist)

For Christmas, I tried making James his favorite British treat, the sausage roll. In England, Christmas just isn't Christmas without sausage rolls. It is a family tradition to have them with Champagne, very civilized. While I'm not a huge fan of sausage, pair it with Champagne and brown sauce, and I'm happy to partake. This is what a sausage roll is supposed to look like. Mine didn't quite turn out this way... (photo from Sainsbury's Magazine November 2006 issue) Looking to Delia Smith and Sainsbury's Magazine for guidance, this is what I came up with:
*1 lb pork sausage meet
*1 small onion, grated
*dried herbs of choice (I used a poultry blend)
*1 box Puff Pastry sheets, thawed
*1 egg to brush pastry
Mix sausage, onion (or leek), and herbs - seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
The puff pastry I chose had 2 packets. I opened one and spread it out on a cutting board.
Next I took half of the sausage mixture, placed it on the pastry, then rolled.
When I had finished, it was a little fatter than I thought it should be, but pressed on. I sliced the roll and brushed with the egg wash.
These were placed onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper and baked at 425F for 20-25 minutes.
As you can tell from the photo at the beginning of the post, mine didn't come out to desired size. Mine were more like coasters. But with a nice brown sauce and a glass a bubbly, we managed to work our way through them. Despite it being 85F outside, I think it did feel like Christmas Eve to James.
A few days later... this is what I did with the other packet of pastry and the remaining sausage. Thinking the "pinwheel" effect would probably be more successful, I spread the sausage mixture across 2/3 of the pastry, then rolled.
Once rolled, I brushed again with egg, sliced and baked at 400F for 15-20 minutes, or until brown.
They weren't quite the same to James, but I was much happier with the results. While they were different from what he is used to, it didn't stop him from devouring them.
All this talk of British classics makes me think of another iconic British 'roll': Cliff Roles. While I try to paint a nice picture of Sarasota and the area, Cliff is truly "in the know" of all current events. Not only a local Award Winning Actor, Cliff has a fantastic local daily radio show with the best guests on the Sun Coast. I am very excited to be assisting Cliff at next month's Murder Mystery Night for the Sarasota British Club. I thank him in advance for hosting our "Am-Dram" night, and might make this dish in his honor.

8 comments:

gina said...

I think my family will love these.
Thanks for sharing the receipe.

Anonymous said...

wow! this roll looks good. my girlfriend would like this really much. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Michelle said...

Oh Amy, these look SO good!!! I love anything with puffed pastry. :)

kate said...

Hey Amy, Im not a big sausage fan either, but good of you to try to keep your hubby happy!!! Have you ever eaten or made Cornish Pasties?? Ive got a whole story about them.
kate

gina said...

Hi amy,
I have an award for you on my blog. come check it out

Nancy said...

Stopping by from gina's blog! Yum! My husband, the Italian, would love these. Must make your blog a favorite.

Noodlegirl said...

OMG I used to make this when I was in my teens then as years go by I lost my recipe well thanks to you I can make it again!

Amy J said...

Thanks ladies :-) I'm hoping to master them. My husband likes the traditional way, but I think I'll stick to the second one, much easier for me, and I think they look prettier too!