When I was a child, there were a few foods that I wanted to try just for the novelty of the name. They were invariably English because the English love an eccentric name (Spotted Dick anyone? ;) ). One of them was Toad In The Hole which of course my mother never made as my father was rather strictly patriotic growing up and were only allowed Chinese food and which probably explains my now insatiable appetite and love for food from all over the world.
I loved the book The Wind in the Willows and I had always imagined that this dish was somehow linked to Mr Toad from Toad Hall and I thought that eating this dish would transport me to Toad Hall to hang out with Mr Toad. This is also the thinking I held onto when I climbed into the cupboard looking for the secret passageway into Narnia where I would hopefully feast on Turkish Delight. I spent hours in there pressing against the panels just so in the hopes of revealing the entry way, my mouthwatering at the idea of consuming Turkish Delight which sounded so unlike anything I had ever tried before.
But back to Toad in the Hole. The Toads of course are the sausages and they poke out from the pastry which is like a Yorkshire Pudding. I don't ever claim to be an expert on this especially as this was my first time making it but having made pastry I made some amendments to some recipes that I found. The oven of course needs to be hot and I thought that using soda water to lighten up the batter would help as of course the more puffed up it is, the better it is. I decided to make it a bit Italianby using Italian sausages and using vine ripened tomatoes and fresh basil although traditionally it would be made using pork sausages and rosemary.
This was a quick to make dish with hardly any preparation necessary. In fact 20 minutes of light work in the kitchen will do it as far as preparations go as the oven takes care of the rest leaving you to lie back at your leisure (or stand in front of the oven with your fingers crossed). After 40 minutes I turned on the light and peered inside. By George! It had risen and puffed up proudly, some little "toads" had poked through the Yorkshire pudding batter and the tomatoes were soft and luscious.After the obligatory photos we dug in hungrily as the smell was too tempting. It was pure comfort food with the spicy, flavoursome sausages going well with the eggy pastry-like batter. Mr NQN ate it hungrily and then swallowed patting his stomach and stole another portion before I knew it. I had my own lovable rogue, my own Mr Toad.
So tell me Dear Reader, what's the dish you always wanted to try when you were little?
500g Italian sausages, pricked lightly with 1 hole
250g vine ripened cherry tomatoes on the vine
fresh basil leaves
For Batter
120grams flour
285ml cold milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
50ml icy cold soda water
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. I used a 31x18cm oval dish but a similar sized dish would do you well as it looks great when it's abundantly fluffy. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in the baking dish and leave in oven while it is preheating so that it gets hot. When it has reached the correct temperature, place sausages in the baking dish and bake for 5 minutes on each side to brown.
Step 2 - While the sausages are browning, make the quick batter. Sift the flour into a bowl and add salt. In a jug whisk the milk and eggs until combined. Then add the liquid gradually to the flour whisking until the lumps are gone (doing this gradually will help prevent lumps). Just when the sausages are ready, add the soda water and whisk lightly but not too much - just combine it into the batter. Pour the batter over the sausages and then place vine ripened tomatoes on top. Bake for 35-40 minutesuntil risen and puffy (don't open the oven while it is cooking). Once finished, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.
But I repeat: DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR until at least 25 minutes into the cooking time. If you do, your batter will sink. Use a tin rather than ceramic dish:This will help your batter to rise as it will reach a higher temperature.
Usually in America, toad in the hole refers to an egg cooked in the hole cut out of a piece of bread. But in England, it's sausages cooked in what is essentially Yorkshire pudding. To me, the English version is more whimsical, perhaps because Mr. Toad is my favorite character in The Wind in the Willows?
Why Is My Toad In The Hole Soggy? It is usually one of two things. Either your tin is too small making the batter lay too thick or it is undercooked. Try to leave your Toad In The Hole in the oven as long as you can and check the middle to see if it is cooked when you remove it from the oven.
However it is most likely that the batter isn't quite cooking properly due to the dish. Stoneware tends to heat up very slowly and doesn't give the instant hit of heat that the batter needs to help it to rise properly.
Egg in a Basket features an egg fried in the hole of a buttery slice of bread. The dish goes by several other names as well; Americans sometimes call it Toad in the Hole, but that title more properly refers to the traditional English dish of Yorkshire pudding with sausage and onion gravy.
Use a metal (or enamel-coated metal) baking tin if possible – a large, reasonably deep dish is best. Using a metal tin means the tin it will get hotter and the heat distribution will be more even. Mine is a rectangular enamel roaster, approx 31cmx25cm and 5cm deep.
The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Stir in the leaves from 4 thyme sprigs, then tip the batter back into the jug you measured your milk in, for easier pouring later on.
Toad in the Hole is said to be known as far back as 1787 but the most famous reference is in Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book first published in 1861. There are many old tales of where it got its name with the most popular being that the small sausages or meat bits used in years gone by resembled toads peeking out of a hole.
It has been suggested the pudding was given the name “Yorkshire” due to the region's association with coal and the high temperatures this produced that helped to make crispy batter.
Where there's low carb Yorkshire Pudding, there has to be low carb toad in the hole. Your favourite sausages, surrounded by super light, crispy, golden batter, what's not to love! This batter is not made with plain white flour, but ground arrowroot instead!
Because plain flour contains no extra ingredients, including rising agents, your cakes and pastries won't rise if you use this type of flour as it is. You'll need to add a rising agent, such as yeast or baking powder, into the plain flour if you want your baked goods to rise and become appetisingly fluffy.
The batter should be the consistency of pouring cream and you should let it rest for about an hour in the fridge. Cold batter and hot oil are the successful combination for a well risen and crisp pudding.
Store any leftover Toad In The Hole in a lidded container in the fridge until required. (It will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.) To reheat, simply place the cold Toad In The Hole on roasting tray in an oven heated to 220C (200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F) for 10-15 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Toad's English name appears to have been inspired by the word "toadstool", a word used to describe mushrooms, including those featuring umbrella-like cap-and-stem form characteristics, which Toad's design portrays along with the character's general resemblance to a mushroom.
The toads are sausages and the 'hole' is Yorkshire pudding, an egg-based batter similar to savoury pancake or crepe batter. Getting the Yorkshire pudding “Hole” to rise, is the tricky part of this recipe. You want it to puff up in the oven around the sausage “Toads”.
By mid-October, most toads and toadlets have retreated to dry banks, holes used by small mammals, compost heaps, amongst dead wood, under garden buildings and other places offering shelter. They will stay in these sites through the winter, but may take advantage of mild patches of weather to forage.
Toads bury themselves for the winter or often for the day in loose earth. To do this they always go down backwards. With a forward lateral movement of the hind feet the earth is pushed out and to either side and the body forced into the hole by the front legs.
Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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