Darien Cooks | written by: CAROLYN EDDIE, Darien Resident & Owner, Carolyn’s Absolutely Fabulous Events
SAUSAGE ROLLS ARE AN ESSENTIAL part of our holiday tradition. It’s a British thing. They generally make an appearance as the nights start to get a little colder. By Guy Fawkes (remember the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and the plot?), they are de rigueur! In America, we have made them an essential part of our Thanksgiving celebrations, no Christmas gathering would be complete without them, and it would be unthinkable to spend Christmas Eve without eating at least one.
Recently, I have upped my game. Rather than plain old sausage rolls, I have been making Christmas Wreaths. This fun, festive appetizer makes me very happy. I hope it makes you happy too!
Ingredients
• One pack of frozen puff pastry from Pepperidge Farm plus some extra for decorating
• One pack of fresh or frozen 16oz sausage meat (Jones or Jimmy Dean)
• One egg for brushing pastry
• Cranberries and fun greens such as watercress
To serve, mix Dijon mustard with mayonnaise for dipping
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Once everything is fully defrosted, unfold each sheet of pastry and cut into two equal rectangles, lengthwise.
4. Cut the sausage meat into four long pieces, and place in the center of each rectangle. Squeeze the sausage meat until it forms a uniform, long sausage reaching each end of the pastry.
5. Fold one side of the pastry over the sausage meat and then fold the other side on top using water or beaten egg to bind.
6. Repeat with each pasty sheet until you have four rolls.*
7. Take three of the uncut rolls and join them together using a little water to bind them, making sure they are seam side down. Don’t worry about the joins. You can cover them with the decorations.
8. Cut out holly leaves or other Christmas shapes from extra puff pastry, stick onto the wreath using water and cut a few holes in each roll for the steam to escape.
9. Brush the wreath with the egg mixture and bake until golden, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Let it rest out of the oven for five minutes.
10. Slide the parchment paper onto your serving plate and remove. (I tear the sheet and pull it out bit by bit).
11. Decorate with the greens and cranberries
12. For the extra roll, cut it into 8 pieces and bake on parchment paper for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and the pastry is fully cooked. Check for soggy bottoms and enjoy as a side to your wreath.
*Note: You can wrap each roll in cling film and store in the refrigerator until you plan to cook them, for up to two days. You can also freeze them for at least a month.
CAROLYN EDDIE is a Darien Resident & Owner, Carolyn’s Absolutely Fabulous Events. For more of her recipes, check out carolynsabsolutelyfabulousevents.com and please remember to tag her on Instagram @carolynsfabfoods.
