Tonight I’ve been practising my mini toad in the holes for Saturday’s Strolling Supper Club. I’m joining forces with Battenberg Belle and Davie from Seven Songs to raise money for the Alice Youth Music Memorial Fund.
We’ll be having cocktails and canapés in the “secret garden” behind my flat, then strolling round to BB’s for a slap up buffet. I’m really looking forward to it.
So I tried making mini versions of Mary and Vincent’s Toad in the Hole to see how they would hold up to cooling down. Would they go too crispy? Or too soggy? No. They were perfect of course! I should have known to trust the Treasury!
The full recipe is below and my notes about baking time for mini versions is at the end.
Mary and Vincent Price’s Toad in the Hole
Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a shallow 9×12-inch baking tin. Put in 1 pound of Vienna sausages. Prick lightly with fork and fry for 5 minutes.
Batter
Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Sift into bowl: 1 scant cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in 1 cup milk. Beat until frothy: 2 eggs. Beat into the batter. Let batter stand for 30 minutes.
Toad
Preheat oven to hot – 400 degrees F [200 degrees C / 180 degrees C for fan oven / gas mark 6]. Heat baking tin with sausages and fat in the hot oven. Pour batter into tin and put in the hot oven. Bake for 20 minutes and reduce heat to moderate – 350 degrees F [175 degrees C / 155 degrees C for fan oven / gas mark 4]. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until batter is browned and puffy.
So for my mini toads I did the following: I put about 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil in each dip of a muffin tray, added the cocktail sausages and popped the muffin tray in a 180 degrees C fan oven for 3 minutes to get the oil hot. I then added the
batter (about a dessert spoon for each toad) and baked in the middle of my oven for 20 minutes.
Perfection! Maybe slightly less oil would be good, but apart from that, bonzer.
Well now, these look marvelous! I’m getting hungry just looking at them! I’m running out to get cocktail sausages NOW! But I do wonder a little… I mean the sausages look as though they are retreating from their respective muffin battery containments… but why cares?! Nothing a frilly, cellophane-edged toothpick wouldn’t fix!
Thanks Landy, they really are delicious little treats. The sausages did do a retreating act, a bit weird! I made some vegetarian ones with Quorn sausages and they were really tasty…