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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020
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Cathy Barrow
THE WASHINGTON POST - Winter
weekends and brunch go together,
and, in my mind, if a light snowfall
can be conjured it’s even better.
A brisk, chilly walk or romp in
the snow ending with a hearty meal
is ideal. My contribution to this day-
dream is a breakfast sandwich that’s
portable enough to carry to the
sledding hill or to enjoy apres-ski.
The star of this sandwich is
homemade turkey sausage la-
voured with the expected (sage)
and the unexpected (gochujang).
I tuck a crispy sausage patty, a
generous spoonful of scrambled
eggs and a sliver of cheese be-
tween toasted and buttered Eng-
lish mufin halves for a sandwich
everyone will devour, even while
wearing mittens.
This homemade sausage recipe
begins with ground turkey, so no
meat grinder is needed, and be-
cause it’s formed into patties, not
links, there are no casings either. It’s
as easy as making burgers or meat-
loaf, with one difference: Rather
than handling the mixture tenderly
and mixing as little as possible as
you might with a burger, you need
to vigorously combine sausage
meat for a more sturdy texture that
holds together without crumbling
when cooked.
I prefer to use a stand mixer
to make this sausage, but it’s easy
to mix by hand, too. The goal is to
transform the texture from a visible
grind to a more cohesive mixture -
without making it pasty. There’s a
ine line between just right and too
mixed, so work in pulses with the
mixer, using the paddle to combine
and remove excess air, until the
ingredients hold together and
gently slap the sides of the bowl.
When sausage meat is mixed by
hand (please wear gloves; the chili
paste can be irritating), the same
action contributes to the correct
texture without overmixing.
The patties should be made at
least four hours before cooking.
They are best stored, covered, on
a parchment-lined baking sheet in
the refrigerator.
When the weekend arrives, I’ll
brown the sausages and scramble
the eggs while toasting English
mufins or splitting luffy biscuits.
Then just stack sausage, egg
and cheese, add a dash of hot
sauce and tuck this sandwich in a
parchment packet.
TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE
Eight servings; makes 16 patties
Korean chili paste, or gochujang,
can be found in the international
section of well-stocked grocery
stores.
MAKE AHEAD
: Make the sausage
patties four or more hours before
serving; the formed patties should
rest to allow the lavours to develop.
The sausage can be refrigerated for
up to three days or frozen for up
to three months. Cook thoroughly
before serving.
INGREDIENTS
Two pounds ground turkey, a
mixture of light and dark meat
Four ounces creme fraiche (or full-
fat yogurt, not Greek), plus one
tablespoon, if needed
A quarter cup fresh lat-leaf parsley,
inely chopped
One and a half teaspoons fresh
thyme leaves, inely chopped
One and a half teaspoons kosher
salt, or more as needed
One teaspoon gochujang paste (or
half teaspoon smoked paprika)
Half teaspoon dry sage (sometimes
labelled as “rubbed sage”)
Half teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
Turkey breakfast sausage. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST
Your breakfast sandwich will
never be better than when
you make the sausage Korean
fermented chili paste gives
STEPS
In the bowl of a stand mixer itted
with the paddle attachment,
combine the turkey, creme fraiche,
parsley, thyme, salt, gochujang,
sage and pepper. Mix at medium-
low speed for two to three minutes.
When the sausage starts to slap
along the sides of the bowl and is
slightly sticky, stop. Be careful not
to overmix.
Alternately, mix by hand,
wearing gloves to avoid burns from
the chili paste. Use a bigger bowl
than you think you need so there’s
room to gather the mixture and
slap it against the side of the bowl.
Combine the turkey, creme fraiche,
parsley, thyme, salt, gochujang,
sage and pepper in four bold
strokes. Once the ingredients are
combined, lift, fold and smack the
mixture against the side of the bowl
about eight times, until the mixture
is sticky and cohesive.
To test the texture, place a
walnut-size piece of the mixture in
the palm of your hand and turn your
hand upside down. If the sausage
does not stick, add one tablespoon
of creme fraiche to the mixture and
combine thoroughly. Then, test a
small portion for sticking again.
To test the seasoning, form a
walnut-size portion of the mixture
into a lattened disk about one-and-
a-half-inch wide. Add a dash of veg-
etable oil to a skillet over medium-
high heat until the oil shimmers.
Cook the patty on each side, turn-
ing once, until well-browned, about
four or ive minutes total. Taste and
adjust the sausage mixture for sea-
soning. Test again as needed.
With slightly damp ingertips,
form the mixture into 16 patties
about three inches across.
Use a scale to be precise (each
patty should weigh two and a quar-
ter ounces before cooking). Place
the patties on a parchment-lined
rimmed baking sheet, then cover
and refrigerate or freeze for at least
four hours before cooking.
For freezer storage, cut indi-
vidual parchment squares for each
patty, and freeze until solid, about
one hour, then transfer the patties
with the paper to freezer containers
or resealable bags.
To cook the sausages, place a
wide skillet over medium-high heat
and add a thin layer of vegetable oil.
Peel the sausage from the parch-
ment paper and, without crowd-
ing, place in the hot pan. Cook until
well-browned, no more than three
or four minutes per side (even if
cooking the sausage straight from
the freezer). Serve warm.
Ellie Krieger
THE WASHINGTON POST - I’ve
rarely met a packaged energy bar
I’ve liked.
They are almost always too
something - too sweet, too pasty,
too artiicial-tasting. But, because
bars are the ultimate on-the-
go nourishment, like just about
everyone else in America (judging
from the endless number of bar
options at the grocery store), I
couldn’t live without them. So I
started making my own.
Over the years, I’ve played
with variations: Some cakier, some
chewier, trying out different fruits
and nuts, and they have always
been worth the little effort it takes
to make them. The bars are gently,
rather than overly, sweet and the
lavour of whole, quality ingredients
shines. You can taste that they are
freshly made, even when thawed
from frozen. (I usually wrap the bars
individually in wax paper and put
them in a resealable freezer bag).
In the past, I had always sweet-
ened my bars with either maple syr-
up or honey, included some kind of
grain and used egg as a binder, but
here I took a shot, using only nuts,
seeds and dried fruit, and it seems I
scored a big hit. Everyone who has
tried them loves them! With no add-
ed sugar, the bars get their sweet-
ness from dried dates; almond
meal becomes the lour; and “chia
eggs” (chia seeds soaked in water
until thickened) act as a binder.
The bars are slightly chewy
with a nutty crunch, and the sim-
ple goodness of their ingredients
really comes through. I must warn
you though, once you try them,
you might never want a packaged
one again.
FRUIT AND NUT ENERGY BARS
Active: 20minutes | Total: 40minutes
18 Servings
These bars - made with dried fruits,
nuts and seeds, and with no lour,
egg or added sugars - are slightly
chewy, with nutty crunch and the
lovely lavours of the whole, simple
ingredients.
STORAGE NOTES:
Store in an air-
tight container at room tempera-
ture for up to three days, in the
refrigerator of up to two weeks, or
wrap individually and freeze for up
to three months.
WHERE TO BUY
: Chia seeds can be
found at health food stores, Whole
Foods or online.
INGREDIENTS
Oil or oil spray, for the pan
Two tablespoons chia seeds
A third cup water
One cup almond meal
One cup raw whole almonds
One cup whole pitted dried dates
Half cup shelled raw sunlower
seeds
Half cup dried apricots
Half cup raisins
Three quarter teaspoon ground
cinnamon
One eighth teaspoon kosher salt, or
more as needed
STEPS
Position a rack in the middle of the
oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Brush or spray a nine-by-13-inch
baking pan with oil.
In a small bowl, cover the chia
seeds with the water, stir and set
aside to soak.
Meanwhile, in a food processor,
combine the almond meal,
almonds, dates, sunlower seeds,
apricots, raisins, cinnamon and
salt and process until everything
With no added sugar, these fruit and nut energy bars are a smarter on-the-go snack
Easy to stir together, this lighter version of sausage is
perfect for an egg-cheese sandwich.
is inely chopped. Add the chia
mixture and pulse until the
everything is thoroughly combined
and resembles a coarse paste.
Transfer the mixture to the
baking pan and spread out evenly
to cover the bottom. (The easiest
way to do this is to place a piece
of wax paper on top, and using
your hands over the paper, press
the mixture out evenly; discard or
reuse the paper.)
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until
fragrant, browned on the edges
and lightly browned and set in
the centre.
Let cool completely, then cut
into 18 bars.
Fruit and Nut Energy Bars. PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST