Sausage Rolls

Sausage rolls are a British classic: well-seasoned ground pork, rolled in puff pastry then cut into lengths and baked till golden brown.

Meeting my soon-to-be in-laws
We had been friends for more than two years, dating for a year and a half and were engaged for a few months when I finally had the opportunity to meet my husband’s father and stepmom, Alan and Fiona.  This was back in 1985 so I was still in school in Austin, Texas, they lived in Freeport on Grand Bahama and their son was working on a drilling rig somewhere offshore in Asia.  So, logistically, it just hadn’t happened.  The long weekend for US Thanksgiving was our first chance.

Simon and I flew out to Fort Lauderdale and they met us at the airport. The details are blurry now but we set off for Publix supermarket for a shopping run and before I knew it, we were stowing a turkey and all the fixings for a Thanksgiving feast in the back of the tiniest plane I’d ever flown in.

While Simon, Fiona and I loaded up, Alan walked around the Cessna 337, Super Skymaster, doing his preflight check. And then, suddenly, we were up in the air, high over the gorgeous deep blue Atlantic Ocean and on our way to the Bahamas.  Just as casually as I would have driven my car home to Mom’s.

I had never known anyone personally who could fly, not to mention own his own airplane!  I thought my father-in-law was a dashing gentleman and the weekend (and the years that followed) confirmed that first impression.

This one's from a flight simulator website but I hope to scan and upload one of the actual plane soon.
One more summer project that didn't get done. 

The English CAN cook
No less of a revelation was the good, simple, tasty cooking that was the hallmark of Fiona’s repertoire.  Don’t let folks tell you that the English can’t cook.  Her roast potatoes were crispy spuds of legend.  Her superlative gravy was a worthy beverage.  Both breakfast and lunch always included fresh, homemade whole wheat loaves that Fiona turned out with regular, delicious consistency, setting them first to proof on top of the hot water heater in their comfortable, homey apartment.  And her sausage rolls, nicknamed the Bishop’s sausage rolls because he requested them specially whenever he visited from Nassau, were a must at every party.

I made these a while back for the party where we celebrated the wonderful life of my other father-in-law, Simon’s stepdad. This isn’t Fiona’s recipe because I thought it was lost to me forever when she passed away in 2001, but it’s my closest approximation of how I remember them, except, perhaps Fiona made a short crust pastry.  My sister-in-law says she has the real recipe so someday soon, I might visit these again.  Meanwhile, since my sausage rolls use store-bought puff pastry, you can get these in and out of the oven in time to take them to a Labor Day party.  Or any party, especially if a bishop has been invited.  Or you have someone or something to celebrate.  They go spectacularly well with Champagne, wine or an ice cold beer.

Ingredients
1/2 medium onion
1/2 teaspoon Herbs of Provence
Olive oil
16 oz or 490g ground pork
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/2 cup or 25g fresh bread crumbs
1 package 16 oz or 490g puff pastry
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Mince your onion and sauté it in pan with the herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.   When the onion is soft and translucent, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Mix the pork with the bread crumbs and the cooled onions, salt and cayenne, if using, and set aside.  It’s messy but I’ve found the best way is first with a wooden spoon and then with your clean hands.

Whisk your eggs together with the milk in a small bowl and set aside.

Roll out the puff pastry into a very large rectangle until it is about 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm thick.

Cut the rectangle evenly into three long pieces.

Lay a third of the meat mixture all along each of the strips of puff pastry lengthwise, making sure to go all the way to the very ends.  You don’t want the end bits to be short on sausage.

Brush the inside of the pastry with the egg/milk mixture.

Roll it up to enclose the filling.  Make sure to leave the seam side down.

Using a serrated knife and a slight sawing motion, cut the long tubes into short rolls.  Since I was serving them as finger food, I cut them pretty small to make 35 bite-sized sausage rolls.

Arrange them in a baking pan, allowing room for the puff pastry to puff and brush the tops with more of the egg wash.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked and the pastry is lovely and golden.

Remove to paper towels to allow any grease to be absorbed and then serve hot.  Or, frankly, room temperature.  I’d eat these either way.

Enjoy!

This week Sunday Supper is celebrating Labor Day in the United States by preparing weekend party foods for picnics and tailgating and just hanging out with friends and family. Have a look at all the delicious drinks and dishes we’ve prepared for you, along with our host, DB of Crazy Foodie Stunts.

Refreshing Drinks

• Cherry Bourbon Lemonade from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Hibiscus Flower Margaritas from La Cocina de Leslie
• Mint Sweet Tea from Supper for a Steal
• Pineapple Soda Floats from Healthy. Delicious.

Amazing Appetizers and Sides

• Caprese Tortellini Salad from Webicurean
• Caramelized Onion Relish from What Smells So Good?
• Chorizo and Cheese Jalapeno Poppers from I Run For Wine
• Cucumber Cups from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Deviled Eggs Stuffed With Garlic Guacamole from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Grilled Corn Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing from girlichef
• Grilled Peach Salad from Curious Cuisiniere
• Hatch, Chive & Chevre Figs from Shockingly Delicious
• Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob from The Urban Mrs
• Peach Salsa Nachos from Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Sausage Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Spiced Honey Peach Muffins from Mess Makes Food
• Spicy Bacon Popcorn from Nik Snacks
• Strawberry and Chicken Pasta Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Stuffed Baby Sweet Pepper from Country Girl In The Village

Enviously Good Entreés

• Beer Brined BBQ Chicken from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Deluxe Pizza Burgers from Foxes Love Lemons
• Grilled Herb Shrimp With Chimichurri Sauce from Magnolia Days
• Grilled Italian Turkey Burgers from Table for Seven
• Grilled Swordfish Kabobs with Sun-Dried Tomato & Olive Salsa from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Homemade Teriyaki from Juanita’s Cocina
• Kansas City Barbecued Spare Ribs from The Texan New Yorker
• Proscuitto & Spinach Macaroni and Cheese from Family Foodie
• Red Wine Burgers with Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese from Neighborfood
• Red, White & Blue Spicy Burgers from Daily Dish Recipes
• Spicy Sea Scallop Skewers with Mint Yoghurt Sauce from Soni’s Food
• Stir-Fry Rice with Turkey Bacon and Eggs from Basic N Delicious
• Tropical Shrimp Kabobs from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
  

Delicious Desserts

• Caramel Brownies from Pies and Plots
• Egg Free Chocolate Mousse from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Fresh Raspberry Bran Muffins from Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Ice Cream Granola Truffles from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Old-Fashioned Pineapple Up-Side-Down Cake from The Foodie Army Wife
• Peach Cheesecake Crumb Bars from Chocolate Moosey
• Peach Kuchen {#Dairyfree} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Peanut Butter Cream Pie with a Pretzel Crust from Cookin’ Mimi
• Peanut Butter Vegan Dreams from Ninja Baking
• Raspberry Lime Cupcakes from Treats & Trinkets
• Red, White & Blue Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Dip Trio from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Red, White & Blue Jello Parfaits from In The Kitchen With KP
• Richest Ever Chocolate Pound Cake with an Orange Ganache from Eat, Move, Shine
• S’mores Brownies from Alida’s Kitchen
• Strawberries with Red Wine Reduction and Whipped Cream from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Summer Berry Chocolate Cake from Happy Baking Days

Rhubarb Nectarine Puff Pastry Tarts

Many years ago, we lived just south of Paris and were blessed with a large garden, most unusual, even in our neighborhood, because of the way our city block was shaped.  The front garden was wide, about 40 feet across, narrowing down by almost 20 feet by the time you got behind the house to the backyard, a large pie-piece shaped garden with the tip cut off.   In the front, we had all the hazelnuts we could eat, courtesy of the left side neighbor, Madame Coucou, so named by us because she would call to me from her porch, “Cou cou!”  In the back, we had a fabulous sweet cherry tree that produced more cherries than we could possibly use, no matter that we ate them steadily and made jam and pies and cherry bounce.   We gave them away to friends and neighbors.  What I didn’t know until our last year there, was that we also had rhubarb in the front yard.  My in-laws came to visit and pointed it out, all hidden under a large bush, so low to the ground.   How could we have missed it!  Rhubarb is one of our favorite things.  My excitement at the discovery was tinged with sadness for the years of missed crops.

Now every summer we eagerly await rhubarb season, when a few choice stalks can be purchased and pie can be baked.  Often it is apple and rhubarb, but occasionally sweet yellow nectarines also make their irresistible appearance.   Summer means a hot kitchen so cooking the fruit on the stove and quick baking puff pastry lets me crank the oven up and then turn it off rather than baking a whole fruit pie for an hour or more.  You could do this with any seasonal fruit.

Ingredients
3 stalks rhubarb
2 ripe nectarines
3-4 tablespoons vanilla sugar or normal sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Good pinch salt
2 sheets puff pastry (about 8in x 8in or 20cm x 20cm)
1/2 cup or 120ml whipping cream

Method
Preheat to 400°F or 200°C.  Fold your sheets of puff pastry in half and then in half again.

Cut around the square with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to create a circle – or, honestly, leave it square if you want.  I just think the circles are prettier.  But do trim the edges off all around.  Freshly cut puff pastry puffs up way more successfully.

Use a large round cookie cutter to score a circle in the middle of the puff pastry.  Do not cut all the way through.

Dock the middle of the circles with the tines of a fork.   Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up and is golden all over.  Meanwhile, chop the rhubarb into chunks.

Cut the nectarines in half and remove the pits.  Cut in chunks.

Put the fruit in a small pot with the 3 tablespoons sugar and salt.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is completely softened and the nectarines are cooked.  Taste and add the extra sugar if necessary.  Set aside to cool.

When the puff pastry is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Cut around the scored circle with a sharp pointy knife and then gently press it down, creating a hole for the fruit.  Set aside.

When you are ready to serve, whip the cream and fill the pastry shells with fruit and then top with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

So yesterday I was hanging out on Facebook with my friend, Pastry Chef Online, Jenni Field, and she shared a caramelized onion jam link her fan Leah had shared with HER – because that’s the way Facebook WORKS, you all.  I call it research.  Anyway, I got to thinking that I hadn’t made caramelized onions into a tart for a very long time.  And then, that was all I could think about until I made them for dinner.  (And it was a busy day!)

If you are a fan of sticky onions and goat cheese and puff pastry, this will be your thing.  And best of all, it’s easy.  My daughters say I say that all the time, which apparently diminishes the sentiment (Not.) but it is true here.  It takes a while for the onions to slowly caramelize and get golden and sticky but if you know how to stir using that tricky, tricky implement, the spoon, you will be fine.  Also, can you fold a piece of paper?  Cut a reasonably straight line with a long knife?  Cool.  Then you can make the crust.  Follow along.

Ingredients for two large personal tarts  (Remember personal pizzas?  Like that but nicer.)
2 large onions
1 red chili (optional but highly recommended)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Several sprigs fresh thyme (plus a few small ones for garnish)
3 1/2 oz or 100g goat cheese (more or less – your package size may vary)
2-3 tablespoons dry red or white wine
2 sheets ready-made puff pastry (about 15 oz or 425g together)

Method
Preheat your oven to 425°F or 220°C.  Line your cookie tray with parchment paper.

Peel your onions and slice them as thinly as you can.  If you have a mandolin, go ahead and use it but a sharp knife works just fine too.

Slice the red chili too.

Put the onions in a non-stick pan and give them a good drizzle of olive oil.

Stir them around and then add the salt, sugar, chili and the thyme leaves off of all but four little sprigs, which we will use to decorate the tarts when baking.

Keep the fire low on the onions so they don’t burn but you do want them to start browning a little.  Stir frequently.  Put the lid on if you’d like, for the first 10-15 minutes. But keep checking on them and stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, fold over two sides of your puff pastry sheets.  Then fold up the opposite two sides.

Now fold the original sides one last time.  And then fold the second sides one last time.

Cut a skinny margin off of all the sides.  This should help the tart crust to rise fully in all its layers because a freshly cut edge seems to puff up more successfully than a folded edge.  Save the little scrappy bits.

Dock or pierce the insides of the raised sides with the tip of your sharp knife.

Transfer the tart crusts to your prepared cookie sheet.

Add the wine to the onions and keep the lid off now so the wine and onion juices can evaporate.  Keep an eye on them because this is where they start getting sticky and you don’t want them to burn.  Cook them down until they are fairly thick and look like photo two.

Cut your goat cheese log into eight circles. Or whatever shapes your cheese allows.

Divide the caramelized onions between the two tarts and try to spread them just inside the raised sides.

Lay four pieces of goat cheese on each tart and top with two small sprigs of thyme and the trimmed bits of pastry.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry crust is puffed and golden.

Aren't they pretty?  

Serve, if desired, with a side salad.  Or just on their own.

Enjoy!