Bob Hart's 'toad in a hole'

ORIGINAL SOURCE: GORDON RAMSAY

This recipe, for sausages set in a Yorkshire Pudding-like batter, appeared in the Melbourne Cup day edition of the Herald Sun, and is a ripper. I have made it twice. Change nothing, but be sure to use thick, pure pork sausages and really good, dry-cured streaky bacon. If you live in Melbourne, visit Leo Donati, a butcher on the corner of Lygon and Elgin, and buy his Italian pure pork snags and his streaky bacon. Both are magnificent.

To prepare, wrap six snags in one rasher (per snag) of streaky bacon. Place in a lightly-greased baking dish (about 20 x 30cm) and roast, at 220C, turning each 5 mins, until browned.

Make your batter by sifting 150g plain flour and 2tsp mustard powder into a bowl, Add 1tsp caraway seeds, pinch salt, pepper. Separate two large eggs and whisk yolks into 300ml milk. Gradually add to flour mix to make batter and set aside,

When sausages are browned, whip egg whites to medium peaks and fold into batter mixture. Remove sausages from oven and pour batter between sausages. Return to oven for a further 30 mins, or until well risen and golden.

Make an apple gravy by melting 25g butter in medium pan. Add 1 large, sliced onion and 1tsp caster sugar and cook until soft and golden. Add 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks, and 1tsp fresh thyme leaves. Cook for a few minutes to soften apple. Sprinkle 2tsp plain flour over and stir to coat. Gradually stir in 250ml hot chicken stock and 250ml medium dry cider. Simmer, stirring, for 5 min. Whiz gravy in blander and return to pan to reheat, adding 2tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Serve portions of toad in the hole (serves four) doused with gravy. With, if you like, mash and a green vegie.