Recipe: Toad-in-the-Hole
1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/2 (2.5 ml) teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (900 g) small, fresh pork sausages
To make the batter in a blender, combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and a
few grindings of pepper in the blender jar, and blend at high speed for 2
or 3 seconds. Turn off the machine, scrape down the sides of the jar, and
blend again for 40 seconds. To make the batter by hand, beat the eggs and
salt with a whisk or a rotary or electric beater until frothy. Slowly add
the flour, beating constantly. Then pour in the milk in a thin stream and
beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the batter for at
least 1 hour. Place the sausages side by side in a heavy 10 to 12 inch (25
to 30 cm) skillet, and prick them once or twice with the tines of a fork.
Sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water, cover the pan tightly,
and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Then remove the cover, increase the
heat to moderate, and continue to cook, turning the sausages frequently
with tongs or a spatula, until the water has completely evaporated and the
sausages have begun to brown in their own fat. Arrange the sausages in a
single layer in a baking tin or dish about 6 by 10 inches (15x25 cm) and 2
inches (5 cm) deep, and moisten them with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of their
drippings. Keep them at least an inch (2.5 cm) apart. Then pour the batter
over them and bake in the middle of a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 30
minutes, or until the pudding has risen over the top of the pan and is
crisp and brown. Serve at once. Serves 4.