One of my favorite bakeries in Australia that I went to is Bourke Street Bakery in Surry Hills. When my friend suggested we go, I had no idea how popular and hip the bakery was. But when we arrived in the morning, there was a line out the door of people waiting to pick up a pastry or coffee. The smell of freshly baked bread and pastries was intoxicating. Upon further research, I found out that the two bakers/owners even published a book!
The first time I went, I had the Goat Cheese and Mushroom Quiche while my friend got the Pork & Fennel Sausage Roll. We sat outside at one of the wooden tables and enjoyed every bite of our pastries. My friend raved about the sausage roll!
We decided to venture out to Bourke Street Bakery for the second time just two days after our first trip. I got the Pain au Chocolat in an effort to try something new on the menu but my friend of course got the sausage roll again. Despite the cloudy day, we sat outside on a wooden table again and chitchatted.
So after hearing my friend rave about the sausage roll and after tasting it myself, four days after I returned home from my trip to Australia, my friend challenged me to make the Pork & Fennel Sausage Roll myself. Challenge accepted!
The sausage rolls took quite a bit of effort to make and after doing it once, I concluded that it should only be reserved for special occasions. But it turned out really good and tasted very similar to the original roll sold at Bourke Street Bakery. I mean, the best part of cooking and baking is seeing the tangible results of all the effort put into it, and there is no joy as great as when the results are successful.
Pork & Fennel Sausage Rolls
Makes 12 "8 cm" rolls
Ingredients
2/3 pound ground pork
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ tsp ground fennel
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
pepper
½ egg
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, semi thawed
egg wash (½ egg + ½ tbsp milk)
sesame & fennel seeds for sprinkling
tomato sauce to serve (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic and onion until fragrant. Add celery and carrot and cook until soft, ~5 minutes over medium-low heat. Once cooked, turn off heat, set aside, and let cool.
Then place ground pork, vegetables, herbs, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Mix and stir in one direction until the meat is gluey.
Cut puff pastry sheets in half, into two rectangles for each sheet. Divide the meat into four equal portions and roll into sausage shapes until the pastry's length. Place one portion of meat up the center of pastry. Brush egg wash on all edges and roll up to enclose filling.
Cut the roll into three pieces. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame and fennel seeds.
Repeat until all the filling is used.
Place on baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees fahrenheit and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until golden.
Serve warm with tomato sauce.
