I've always enjoyed watching the Olympics opening ceremony. It's a great time to see the host country show its stuff to the world. It's also the perfect opportunity to have friends over to celebrate the games and give them a little culinary taste of the host country. With the games being in London, I've put together a few items with a British flair. From cucumber sandwiches and 'toads in the hole' to a biscuit cake and a Pimm's cup, these recipes are sure to make everyone feel a bit closer to the games while watching them here in the states.
Toads In The Hole
Ingredients
1/2 lb Smoked Sausage
3 tsp Vegetable Oil
3/4 cu All Purpose Flour
3/4 cu Whole Milk
3 lg Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
Water
12 Cup Non Stick Muffin Pan
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Break eggs into a measuring cup. Add water to the eggs to reach a level 3/4 cup, if necessary. Mix eggs with milk in a large bowl. While stirring, sift the flour over the mixture and thoroughly combine. Stir in salt and set mixture aside at room temperature.
Place about 1/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of each cup of the muffin pan. Cut sausage into twelve 1" pieces and place one in each muffin cup. Place pan in the oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, stir egg mixture again and transfer it to a pourable container, like a measuring cup. Open the oven and slide out the rack and muffin pan. Using tongs, lift a sausage piece up and fill its cup to about 1/3 level with the egg mixture. Place the sausage on top of the mixture. Quickly, repeat with the remaining mixture until all cups are filled. Slide rack back into oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from oven. The Yorkshire pudding will start to deflate a bit. These are best served immediately but can be placed on a platter and served at room temperature.
Pimm's Cup
courtesy of Gerry & Penelope Miller
Ingredients
Pimm's Number 1
Cucumber Slices
Orange Slices
Lemon Slices
Peach Wedges
Strawberries
Fresh Mint Leaves
Lemon-Lime Soda (like 7-Up or Sprite)
Crushed Ice
Method
Fill a glass about 1/3 full with Pimms. Add sliced vegetables, fruit and Ice. Top off with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with mint and serve.
Egg Salad Roll Ups
Ingredients
6 eggs
2 Green Onions*
1 tbl Mayonnaise
1 tbl Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Fresh Dill
1/2 tsp Fresh Chives, minced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
10 slices Multi Grain Bread
Method
Place eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring pot to a boil. As soon it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and cover for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes drain the pot and run cold water over the eggs to cool. Peel and chop the eggs and place them in a mixing bowl. Separate the long green portion from the green onions and set aside. Finely chop the white portion and add it to the eggs along with the mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika, and chives. Season the mixture to your liking with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Divide the long stems of the green onion into individual strips about 6" long. You'll need ten. *If there aren't enough with these two green onions, cut the ends off of a few others. Bring a large pot, about 1/4 full of water, to a boil. Fill a medium sized bowl with water and ice. Drop the stems into the boiling water for just 5-7 seconds and then put them in the ice water (you can also microwave them for about 10 seconds instead of boiling). Drain and dry the stems on a paper towel.
Cut the end off the bread slices. Using a rolling pin, flatten each slice. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of egg salad mixture on about 3/4 of each slice, leaving about a 1/2" strip uncovered on one end. Starting on the opposite end, roll the bread up around the filling. Place the seam side down and set it over a strip of softened green onion. Gently tie the strip around the roll. Repeat with remaining rolls and serve.
Chocolate Biscuit Cake
8oz box Salerno Butter Cookies
3oz 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate
3oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate
4oz Unsalted Butter
1/2 cu Granulated Sugar
1 lg Egg, room temperature
1/4 cu Heavy Cream, room temperature
Icing
4 oz 70% Cacao Extra Bittersweet Chocolate
4 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Decoration
1 oz While Chocolate
Equipment
6" springform pan, or 6" baking pan with a removable bottom
Wax Paper or Parchment Paper
1 tbl Butter or Cooking Spray
Method
Break butter cookies into small pieces, about the size of a penny. Set aside.
Line the bottom and sides of your baking pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Butter the paper or spray it with cooking spray and set aside.
Melt the 3 ounces of bittersweet and 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Add butter and sugar and stir until well incorporated. Whisk together egg and cream in a small bowl. While stirring chocolate, gradually pour in egg mixture. Stir until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minute. Stir cookies into the mixture to coat all the pieces. Immediately pour ingredients into prepared pan. Move the pieces about so that you fill in all the spaces, especially on the bottom since you'll be inverted the cake to ice it. Place cake in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
After cake has chilled, remove it from the baking dish and invert it onto a wire rack. Place the wire rack over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Melt the 8 remaining ounces of chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a medium bowl and allow chocolate to cool and thicken slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Pour chocolate over cake and smooth the top and sides using a spatula. Let the icing harden at room temperature. Slide the cake off the wire rack and onto a serving plate, tucking any raw edges icing under the cake.
Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave and transfer to a small sealable plastic bag (or small piping bag). Cut a small section off one corner of the bag and then create a pattern on the cake by squeezing the icing through the small hole. Refrigerate until ready to eat, but let the cake rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
Ingredients
I lg English Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cu Cider Vinegar
Whipped Cream Cheese
Fresh Dill
White Bread
Method
Place cucumbers in a medium sized bowl and add salt and vinegar. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from refrigerator after and hour and drain. Place cucumbers between layers of paper towel and pat dry.
Spread cream cheese on two slices of white bread. Overlap about 9 slices of cucumber on once slice. Sprinkle with fresh dill and then cover with the remaining slice. Cut off the crusts of the bread and then slice into three long “fingers” sandwiches and serve. Quantity will depend on the size of the cucumber and the thickness of your slices.
If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
