Pork, Blue Cheese & Almond Sausage Roll

There are only 2 local cafe's where i find this Kiwi favourite just right to my taste, nothing wrong with all the others it's just that i'm not a big fan of thyme or sage which i think is too strong a flavour for a pie- but that is just me. The idea of pastry and mince though is very much appealing to me :)  so i thought why not make my own version? This recipe yields about 6 logs of sausage rolls and if you cut each log into 3 then you will have 18 pcs. altogether. they freeze well so it's good to stock them.

INGREDIENTS:

Pork mince (or chicken), 500 g

1 large white onion, *sweated and slow-cooked in pan til soft & caramelized

300 g button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 of an apple, grated

100 g blue cheese brocken up OR just plain grated cheese about 3/4 of a cup

1 medium spanish sausage, minced (not the normal ones used in sizzles ok?...i use the Verkerks brand or buy one from the meat deli section)
1 small packet of sliced almonds, toasted

1 egg

flat parsley, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Seasonings: 1 tsp. salt, pepper, 1 tsp. worcestershire (season according to your taste)

6 Flaky Puff Pastry sheets

sesame seeds

egg wash: 1 egg, beaten

HOW TO:

1. Use a big bowl- mix your mince, seasonings and egg-  blend well and set aside.

2. Over low heat, sweat out the minced sausage in a shallow pan and add the onions. Wait for the onions to soften and caramelize, so to speak, before you add the chopped mushrooms. Saute for a minute and add this to the meat mixture.

3. Crumble the blue cheese and just mix to blend, if using grated cheese, then just incorporate into the mixture. Add the grated apple then the toasted almonds- yep, the whole pack, you won't be sorry :)

4. The pastry sheets would've thawed out quite nicely by now so lay them out flat, spoon the meat filling evenly and roll the sheet until you form a log. TIP: you can use a pastry bag if you want.

5. Baste the rolls with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds, cut into desired portions and spread them into a lined tray. Bake for 35- 40 minutes. Serve with your favourite side dish. Salad goes well with it.

COOK'S NOTE:

It is important to wait for these yummy ones to 'puff' out when baking them because if you undercook these the pastry inside is not cooked through. Unfortunately i was not able to time my cooking but   approximately 35-40 minutes OR until the sausage rolls appears puffed. You'll know what i mean when you see them. merci.

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” 
― Julia Child