Isles 25th Anniversary Feast
Greetings from the recovering feast-o'crat. I'm so pleased that so many people made it to the feast, and judging from the comments, the food was good. So I decided to do an instant replay. Thanks should also go to the food shoppers and all the kitchen help I had all Friday night and Saturday.
Toad in the hole is a beef sausage in a baked pastry, and is an easy one dish casserole. I got this recipe out of an old English cookbook, so I've conveniently translated the measures for you. For the quiche recipe, you can add just about any vegetable or meat combo you want, and the veggies don't need to be precooked. Next time, look for the dessert recipes. :-)
Toad in the Hole - serves 12-16
- 8 large pork or beef sausages
- 1 oz pork or beef dripping or lard ( 2 tsp bacon grease works well)
- 4 oz flour ( 1/2 cup )
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 pint milk ( 1 cup )
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- freshly ground black pepper
Put the sausages in a shallow ovenproof dish or baking tin with the dripping or lard and bake in a hot oven (425 ) for 5 to 10 minutes, turning the sausages occasionally to brown on all sides.
Meanwhile, make the batter. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and put in the beaten eggs and half the milk. Mix the flour into the eggs and milk, gradually drawing flour in from the sides. Stir in remaining milk and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or wire whisk to make the batter smooth. Stir in the dried herbs, and pepper to taste.
Pour the batter into the dish or tin with the sausages and continue to bake in a hot oven for a further 40 to 45 minutes or until the batter has risen and is brown and crisp. Serve immediately.
Quiche - Serves 4-6
For Pastry
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 tbsp ice water
Measure flour into a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form. Add ice water, mixing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Wrap. Chill for 1 hour. (You can omit the chilling.)
Roll dough out to fit bottom and sides of a 9 inch quiche pan. (You can substitute a pie pan.) Prick dough with a fork. Bake pie shell at 425 for about 10 minutes. If you stack another tin on top to help the pastry retain it's shape, allow for extra baking time.
For Filling (which is a little much for an 8 inch pan.)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
- pepper & salt
- 1 cup vegetable and/or meat
- 1 tsp mixed herbs (which is an actual spice put out by Lawry's - look for the green cap)
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I usually use cheddar.)
- dash paprika
Beat eggs and cream. Add spices, ham or vegetable, and cheese. Pour mixture into prebaked pie shell. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes or until set.
Until next time, Jaa Mata! In service to the dream, Kachigatai Kitsune (aka Michelle Manke). :^)
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