Tuesday's Kitchen Homemade Sausage Rolls

This week I want to share with you the most simple recipe for sausage rolls which I made for my oldest son's birthday a few weeks ago.

Everybody loved them and kept asking where I bought them so I think it's fair to say that once you have made your own you won't want to buy one again.

It's quick and easy using ready made puff pastry and sausage meat with a few extra bits to transform the flavour.

I think the combination of flavours you could add are endless but I was mindful of smaller children who can sometimes be a bit fussy.

Ingredients

Sausage Meat

Ready Made Puff Pastry Sheets

1 Clove Garlic finely chopped

1 Small Onion finely chopped

2 Teaspoons Mixed Herbs

Salt and Black Pepper to season

Beaten egg or milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7

2. Place your sausage meat into a large bowl along with the chopped garlic, onion and herbs.

3. Add some salt and pepper to season and mix everything together with your hands.

4. Lightly flour your work surface and unroll out the ready made pastry.

5. Cut the sheet of pastry in half.

6. Divide the sausage meat in two and roll each piece into a sausage shape.

7. Place the sausage meat down the middle of the pastry and wash over the edge of the pastry

 with the beaten egg or milk and fold it over - the beaten egg or milk will make sure that the edges stick together.

8. Next brush over the whole length of pastry with the beaten egg and then divide into small rolls - you should get about 8 good sized sausage rolls from each piece.

9. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 mins until the pastry is golden and the sausage meat is cooked through.

10. These are lovely on their own, or served with pickle, mustard, tomato ketchup.

I'm linking in with Townsend House What I am Eating click on the link to have a look at what everybody else is eating this week.

Tuesdays Kitchen - Honeycomb Crunchies

With too many Easter Eggs about the house I always end up making goodies with them just to use them up - there really is only so many eggs you can actually eat and it's a pity to let them go to waste!

This recipe is taken from The Great British Bake Off Learn to Bake Book. 

My husband bought it for me and I'm making my way through the recipes which are all fabulous and you don't have to be an expert to get through them!

It was very exciting to try something new here, making honeycomb which is pretty amazing partly because I didn't think it would work and partly because it tasted so good!

For this recipe I've substituted the chocolate with two medium sized Easter Eggs.

For the Honeycomb

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

75g caster sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

To Assemble

250g dark/milk/mixture chocolate

100g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

150g digestive biscuits

Method;

1. Make the honeycomb first.

 Before you start make sure you have an oiled baking tray and bicarbonate of soda ready. 

Put the sugar and golden syrup into a heavy saucepan and warm gently for 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

2. When the sugar is completely melted, turn the heat to medium and once it starts to boil, leave it to bubble until it turns golden brown - do not stir at this point.

3. Turn the heat off and making sure you cover your hand with a cloth, take hold of the pan handle.

Add the bicarbonate of soda quickly whisk for a couple of seconds. 

The mixture will froth quickly

and you need to be very careful here.

4. Pour this mixture into the oiled baking tray and leave it to cool and harden for about 20/30 minutes.

5. Put the chocolate, butter and golden syrup into a heatproof bowl. 

Melt gently and remove from heat when the mixture is smooth, set to one side.

6. Break up the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin, and then break up the honeycomb in the same way. 

Add both to the chocolate and mix well.

7. Spread the whole of this mixture evenly into a lined square tin, cover with clingfilm and chill for about 2 hours.

This should cut into 16 squares and stored in the fridge will keep for 2 days.

Simple Party Cake

It's amazing what a flat sheet of vanilla sponge can be turned into - here is my recipe for a simple sponge, the ingredients are the same as for cupcakes only difference is the quantities. It's great for parties, school or sports day bake sales, or if you just fancy something nice for afternoon tea.

This recipe is very easy and I have never had a disaster with it yet.

My daughter is sick and not at school today so I've made this to cheer her up :)

Before you start you will need;

* Large mixing bowl
* Wooden spoon
* Spatula
* 20.5x25.5x5cm tray bake or a cake tin (greased and base lined with greaseproof)
* Wire rack
* Large sieve
* Flat knife

Ingredients;

* 125g unsalted butter
* 125g caster sugar
* 2 eggs, at room temperature
* 150g self raising flour
* 1 tablespoon of milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Icing;

* 250g icing sugar
* 100g unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon of milk

For decorating;

The choices are endless - hundreds and thousands, coloured sugar, wafer flowers, jellies - today we are using Cadbury's Mini Eggs with marshmallows and jellies.

Method;

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas4
2. Put the butter,sugar, eggs, flour,milk and vanilla into a bowl.
3. Beat everything together with your wooden spoon, or you can use an electric mixer, until everything is smooth. Make sure all the ingredients are combined well together.
4. Scrape the mixture into your prepared tray bake or cake tin and spread evenly into the corners.
5. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 mins, until the top is nice and golden and the cake has started to shrink away from the sides.
6. Remove from oven, loosen the tin and leave for about 15-20 minutes until cool on your wire tray, then remove completely and leave on the wire tray.
7. Now you can make your icing, sift the icing sugar into the bowl, add your butter and milk and beat until smooth. Once it's  mixed you can colour all or part of it, or it's good enough as it is.
8. Spread your icing over the cooled cake using your flat knife and decorate as you wish, the choices are endless. 
9. You can leave the cake whole or cut it into smaller pieces like I have done today and it will keep for 4/5 days in an airtight container.

Afternoon Tea