Swaddling Swine - Würstchen im Schlafrock

(Gr. "Sausage in a Dressing gown")
Whether you call them Porcine in Pashmina, Hogs in House Coats, Farrows in Frocks, Boar in a Bedspread or, like here in the States, Pigs-in-blankets, they are a multicultural phenomenon. In Isreal they are referred to as "Moses in the ark". In Russia, "COCNCKA B TESTE" <-- The 'N' should be reversed (Sosiska v teste, "sausage in the dough").

Why all this info regarding a sausage wrapped in dough? Friday April 24th is National Pigs-in-a-Blanket day. So swaddle your swine as you see fit, be it breakfast sausage in pancakes, Vienna sausage in croissants or Hot dogs in Bagel dough. Wrap it up, baby!!!

Normally I use Hot Italian Sausage and Puff pastry, but tonight I decided to get in touch with my German roots and grabbed some Bratwurst.

1 lb box of Puff Pastry
8 Bratwurst
8 thin slices of Swiss cheese (Emmenthal is best)
Brown Mustard
1 egg lightly Beaten
(optional) Finishing Salts

Thaw the Puff Pastry according to directions.
I use Trader Joe's Brand, I think the quality is better than Pepperridge Farm for 1 simple reason.

Pepperridge Farm is made with Hydrogenated oil, Trader Joe's Brand is made with Butter, as Puff Pastry should be. There is also a bonus... Trader Joe's brand is $1.50 cheaper!!

Unfold a sheet of Pastry and cut into 4 equal pieces.

Spread a little mustard, leaving the edges clean.

Add a piece of Swiss,

then bratwurst.

Roll up and seal with egg wash.

Place them on a parchment lines baking sheet and brush all over with egg wash then sprinkle with finishing salts if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until Pastry is Golden Brown.

Which Salts did I use...??

Murray Ridge from Australia

Salish Alder Smoked from the Pacific NW

Alaea Salt from Hawaii

Black Lava Salt from Hawaii

Sel Gris from France

Mangia!!
~~

Comfort Foods - Bizkits and Gravy

It was a dark and stormy night….. and I was hungry for some comfort food. We are in between rain storms here in “Sandy Eggo”. So, it has been exceedingly cold and wet for 4 days. To me, "cold and wet" means it's time for some “good ol down home cookin”... Some food that sticks to your ribs. Things like Mac & Cheese, Meatloaf and my personal breakfast favorite… Biscuits and Gravy. This is one of my favorite breakfast foods, but every once in awhile I am infused with a “devil may care” attitude and enjoy breaking the rules, being a rebel, and eating “breakfast” foods for dinner…

I know, I know…..

I can tell that you are all shocked and appalled at my audacity to suggest such an obviously anarchist idea. What's next? A meal, in between breakfast and lunch, consisting of foods like Quiche Lorraine, cantelope and champagne mixed with Cranberry or Orange Juice?!?!

The Humanity!!

And we will give it a silly name by taking the first part of the word “breakfast” and the last part of the word “lunch”. Oh, Wait…. Br-unch already exists, doesn't it…? Crazy me.

OK, brunch aside, I feel it is my duty, as a fellow member of the human race, to resist the status quo and expunge the myths that pigeon-hole foods, chaining them mercilessly to one meal or another. All food should be free… To be eaten anytime, anyplace….

Ehem……

So tonight my rebellious self is making Biscuits and Gravy

First one must make biscuits, for without good Buttermilk Biscuits, “Biscuits and Gravy” would be nothing more than “Gravy”. While gravy is all well and good, the biscuit provides the starch necessary to stick the gravy to your ribs (That is my story and I am sticking to it) .

Ye Olde Buttermilk Biscuits
Thanks Mom!!!

3 3/4 - 4 Cups AP Flour - divided
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder (I use Rumford’s – it’s Double Acting AND Aluminum Free)
7 TB Browned Butter, melted
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450
In a large bowl, whisk 3 1/2 cups Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, and Baking Powder.

In a small bowl, mix the melted Butter and the Buttermilk.
Pour Butter/Buttermilk into the flour mixture.

Stir until sticky dough is formed.

If dough is TOO sticky, add another 1/4 cup of the flour and knead in quickly.

Turn out onto a board floured with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.
Roll dough to 1/3 - 1/2 inches thick and cut out with, well, a cutter.

Move to an un-greased sheet pan and bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool just long enough to not burn your hands before eating

when splitting it in two, and dousing with the following gravy recipe

Country Sausage Gravy

1 lb pork sausage (I use Italian a lot)
1/4 cup plus 1 TB flour
2 1/2 cups Whole Milk
Kosher Salt & Black pepper to Taste

Remove sausage casings (if necessary) and brown over medium heat.

Add Flour and stir to coat sausage, browning the flour a little bit (1 - 2 minutes) to remove the "Raw" flour flavor.

Add milk and continue heating over medium low to prevent scorching, stirring occasionally.

Gravy will come to a slow boil and begin to thicken; cook to the desired thickness.

Season with salt an pepper
Break biscuits in half and place on a plate.

Smother with gravy.

mmmm G R A V Y!!!
~~

Scotch Eggs in Sauce Moutarde

I usually only make these for Beltaine or Ostara for 3 reasons.

1. They are fitting of the season. (for there are always hard boiled eggs lying around from Easter)

2. They are deep fried. (Deep Fried food makes me sick to my stomach)

3. They are so decadently delicious that I cannot stop eating them. (Regardless of reason #2)

How could anyone NOT be enthralled by a hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, and then deep fried? What could possibly be better? OK, maybe a little Sauce Moutarde, which is just a fancy way of saying sauce Hollandaise with Dijon Mustard whisked in at the end... But OH, so delicious.....

Scotch Eggs au Sauce Moutarde

6 hard boiled eggs
Flour for dusting
1 lb ground pork sausage or homemade sausage (I used Hot Italian Sausage this time)
3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Panko
1 tsp. Mace
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Egg, beaten
Oil for deep frying - preferably Peanut oil as the smoke point is higher.

Preheat Deep Fryer to 350 degrees
Remove the shells from the hard-boiled eggs, dry them with a paper towel if necessary and dust with flour and set aside.

Divide sausage into 6 equal portions.

Take each hard-boiled egg and wrap it in the sausage meat until it is completely covered.

Once the egg is completely covered, mix the breadcrumbs, Panko, Mace, Salt and Pepper in a shallow bowl.

Begin dipping the sausage/eggs in the beaten egg then roll in the breadcrumb mixture.

When all the eggs have been prepared this way, deep fry the eggs, one at a time, until golden brown.
Drain on paper towel lined plate in a 150 - 200 degree oven while frying the remaining eggs.

Hollandaise with Moutarde Variation

OK, I tried to take picture but the constant whisking made it pretty much impossible... Sorry....

1/4 cup Egg Yolks - approximately 3 Large Egg yolks.
1 TB Water
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 Tsp Sugar
1/2 TB freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Utilizing a glass bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, salt, cayenne, water and lemon juice together until the yolk begin to pale & thicken slightly.
Place the bowl over barely simmering water and continue whisking until the mixture becomes smooth, creamy and thick enough to leave a clear line in the bottom of the bowl when the whisk is drawn through.
Remove the bowl from the water bath and begin adding butter, 1 TB at a time, whisking until melted and emulsified before adding the next piece.
It is important that the butter be cold, and added in small quantities to allow the yolks time to exercise their emulsifying powers without giving the butter a chance to pool into the bottom and “break” the sauce.
If your sauce begins to cool to the point that the butter is having difficulty incorporating you can return the bowl briefly to the simmering water to warm the sauce again.
If sauce Moutarde is desired whisk in 1 1/2 TB Dijon Mustard.

Slice eggs and place on a plate, then drizzle with Sauce Moutarde and serve...

Mangia!!
~~