Wow. I watched the entire three seasons of Masterpiece Theater's Victoria series. I am excited for the fourth season! I think the actors are wonderful and I am thoroughly caught up in the stories of their lives. But, as what happened when I watched Downton Abbey, my attention got riveted on the kitchen scenes.
I was impressed with the actor, Ferdinand Kingsley, who played the chef Charles Elmé Francatelli. Something they showed several times was him vigorously mixing things in bowls -- and the actor looked like he was really putting in the effort it took to make mayonnaise and other goodies.
My favorite guest taster noticed my interest, did some research, and discovered that Mr. Francatelli (the real one!) had published some cookbooks. He bought me A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes. It was originally published in 1861.
What I like about this book is that the man who wrote it was in charge of cooking for Queen Victoria and her royal household. Later, he was a cook/chef/manager for a number of notable clubs in England, mixing with all sorts of upper class people, I'm sure. He could have looked down upon the working class as not worthy of tasty food that is prepared well. He could have thought his talents and experience were too high for the common folk. But he wrote this book, for them. He included tips and advice to the woman of the house, encouraging her to think broadly about what she can fix with inexpensive cuts of meat, or to treat her family, or to stretch what she can afford. To me, he comes across as a kind man.
There are several recipes I want to try. This one, Sausage Rolls, is quick and convenient because today I have bread dough. Usually I make one big loaf with my sourdough starter but today I used half to make a loaf and the other half is reserved for this recipe. It is recipe number 85 on page 44.
Sausage Rolls
Procure a quartern of dough from the baker's, knead this with four ounces of butter, dripping, or chopped suet; divide it into twelve equal parts, and use each piece of paste to enfold a beef sausage in it; place these rolls on a baking-tin, and bake them in the oven for about twenty minutes or half an hour.
My Redaction
1 pound and a little more sourdough bread dough
1 ounce and a little more butter (softened)
1/2 pound homemade sausage, blend #3 (click here to learn what this is)
My Notes
A quartern of dough was about four pounds by weight. My dough was a little over 1 pound, so I kneaded it with a little over 1 ounce of butter. This made the dough very slippery and buttery.
I didn't have beef sausages but, being a resourceful working-class cook, I made do with some of my homemade sausage. I cut the meat into four equal pieces and patted them into beef sausage shapes.
I cut the dough into four equal pieces, flattened them out as best I could, and embedded a piece of sausage in each one. This was challenging because buttery dough does not really want to stick to itself. I persevered and encased the sausage completely, although I don't think the rolls were really very attractive to view.
They baked in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes, which made them lightly brown and smell really good.
The Verdict
I let them cool to be comfortable to handle, and served them with a good, coarse mustard. My guest taster and I weren't hungry enough for a full meal, so we just had one roll each and some pinot noir on the side.
I worried that the bread-to-sausage ratio would be too big, that we would feel like we were eating chunks of bread that might have some sausage in it somewhere, but that wasn't the case. There was a lot of bread but it wasn't dominating over the sausage except near the ends, which is usually what happens when you have a bread-encased whatever.
The butter proved to be a good addition. The bread was flaky, not doughy or dense, which my guest taster commented on favorably. I was pleased with the result. A few places were a little undercooked but not in any way that put me off.
The flavor was what you might expect: tasty bread with tasty sausage. The mustard was a good addition, as long as it was put on lightly, or you couldn't really taste the meat. The bread and meat combination was a good one, but that is not surprising. I enjoyed it and so did my guest taster.
It might have been better to cook them at 400 degrees F instead. The bread soaked up the fat from the sausage, especially on the dough between the meat and the metal tray. It was moist but not raw or sticky. I think a higher temperature might have browned the surface better, and cooked the dough more to the middle, but I do have to point out that the sausage was cooked all the way through.
I suspect that I should have kneaded the dough longer to mix the butter in. I'm not sure why I think that but it seems like it might have given the dough more time to absorb it before shaping and baking.
Success! I would do this again for a simple dinner or fun food for a gathering. We had the two other sausages for breakfast the next morning, which was tasty and fun. I might try it again (the next time I make bread!) with actual sausages, and attempt to make the bread casing thinner.
And, just for kicks and bragging rights, here is my loaf of sourdough bread:
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