Party week
This is the eighth week of Season 14 of The Great British Baking Show ™ and focuses on 'party week'. This is also the quarter finals.
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This page is all about the food that the show brings to our screens. The goal is to have a lasting memory of some of the flavors and taste combinations, to bring some creativity and ideas to your own cooking. I hope you find it fun and useful.
Signature Dish
In episode 8 of Season 14 of The Great British Baking Show ™, the 5 remaining contestants were required to create twelve delicious sausage rolls. It was made clear that these could be made from any type of pastry, and that the filling and flavor was completely open as long as the finished goods were shaped into a sausage and wrapped in pastry.
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Prue Leith said "We've said that the contestants can use any pastry they like, but I expect that most of them will use rough puff." (This turned out to be entirely correct - all 5 made rough puff pastry.) Tasha (contestant) added "Rough Puff Pastry is a shorter way of doing puff pastry, because the full version takes hours."
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Paul Hollywood said "It's quite hot in the tent today and butter is going to melt very quickly. The bakers will have to use the fridge and keep their pastry chilled right up until they put it in the oven. That will create the lamination, flake and butteriness that we're looking for."
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Of the sausage roll filling, Paul Hollywood said "it's got to pack a punch. We want a little bit of moisture, too - this can't be too dry or too 'claggy'."
Cider in the Park
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Inspired by memories of picnicking in the park, Tasha's sausage rolls were filled with pork and apples and moistened with a layer of cider, apricots and apples.
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These sausage rolls really impressed the judges. Paul Hollywood said "the flavor is superb and there is great lamination in the pastry - it just needed a few more minutes in the oven."Prue Leith added "These are exceptional."
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Turkey & Cranberry Christmas Sausage Rolls
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Josh's festive sausage rolls were filled with pork, turkey, brussel sprouts, chestnuts, apricots and sage... along with a cranberry sauce, all wrapped in rough puff pastry.
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The judges felt that these sausage rolls needed longer in the oven. The filling was a little dry and the lamination wasn't really up to standard.
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Classic Sausage Rolls
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Matty tweaked the classic recipe of pork, sage and onion by adding grated apple and a hint of chili powder. He also shrouded the sausage in caramelized onion. He enhanced his rough puff pastry with an egg wash, sea salt, tiny sage leaves and sesame seeds.
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Matty earned a Hollywood Handshake for these sausage rolls. Paul Hollywood said he particularly liked (1) the color (2) the lamination and the 'cut'. He loved the kick that came from the addition of chili.
"Dumplings in Disguise"
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Mixing up food cultures, Dan's dim-sum-inspired sausage rolls had a punchy pork, prawn, ginger and garlic filling with 5-spice flavored rough puff pastry. They were served with a Soy Dipping Sauce.
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Sadly, Paul Hollywood didn't like this creative flavor mix. They looked better than they were deemed to taste.
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Cranberry and Sage Sausage Rolls
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Cristy's party sausage rolls used a classic pork, garlic, sage and onion filling with a moist layer of cranberry and orange sauce.
The judges weren't impressed. The complained of 'soggy bottoms'. The pastry was pale and underbaked. Paul Hollywood said "I quite like the flavor." Prue Leith was more generous " I think the filling is superb but the pastry is too thick and therefore wasn't baked for long enough.
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Also in Desserts Week
Lessons learned in Party Week
Rough Puff Pastry
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Rough puff pastry is a simpler and quicker alternative to traditional puff pastry, but it still produces a flaky, buttery crust that is perfect for pies, tarts, and pastries.
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Tips:
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Keep all of your ingredients cold to prevent the butter from melting and creating a greasy dough.
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Work quickly when handling the dough to prevent it from warming up.
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If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little more flour. If it becomes too dry, add a little more water.
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Be patient and don't rush the folding process. The more folds you do, the flakier the pastry will be.
Sausage Rolls
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Sausage rolls are a savory pastry typically made with a flaky pastry crust filled with seasoned sausage meat. They are a popular and versatile British snack or light meal, often enjoyed hot or cold.
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The traditional sausage roll filling is made with a mixture of pork sausage meat, onions, and herbs, typically sage.
