Tom Kerridge's ultimate hot dog and brioche with apricots
Tom Kerridge - who knows a thing or two about eating al fresco - helps us fire up the coals for the Bank Holiday Weekend. From his latest book Cooking Outside - The Ultimate BBQ Guide, he’s got the go to Hot Dog fit for the Bank holiday weekend. And he’s also showing you how to make your own sweet treats on the BBQ, as he whips up his Brioche with boozy apricots!
The ultimate hot dog
Serves 4
Ingredients
Barbecue burnt onions
2 large onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Pigs in blankets
4 jumbo sausages
2 heaped tsp mild curry powder
12 rashers of streaky bacon
German mustard mayo
100g thick mayonnaise
40g German mustard
3 tsp finely chopped shallot
10 cornichons, finely sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble
4 long hot dog rolls
8 thick slices of smoked Bavarian cheese
8 large slices of dill pickle
A bunch of spring onions, green part only, finely sliced
Method
1. To cook the onions, place a cast-iron pan on the hot barbecue and add the oil. When it is hot, add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Stir well and cook for about 20 minutes until softened, dark and caramelised.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the sausages. Poke a metal skewer through the length of each sausage and lay the skewers on a tray. Season with the curry powder, trying to get an even coating all over the sausages. Wrap each one in bacon, using 3 rashers per sausage, and secure the bacon with a couple of cocktail sticks.
3. Lay the bacon-wrapped sausages on the hot barbecue and cook for about 10 minutes, turning every minute or two. While they are on the barbecue, mix the German mustard mayo ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste; set aside until needed.
4. Once the sausages are cooked through, lift them off the barbecue and place on a tray. Remove the cocktail sticks and metal skewers.
5. To build the hot dogs, slit the rolls open through the top and lay the cheese slices in them. Add the bacon-wrapped sausages and top with plenty of caramelised onions and the pickle slices.
6. Place the hot dogs on a sturdy baking tray on the barbecue, put the lid on and leave for a minute or two so that the cheese becomes all gooey and melted. Transfer the hot dogs to plates and spoon on the German mayo. Scatter over the spring onions for freshness and serve.
Brioche eggy bread with boozy apricots
Serves 4
Ingredients
Brioche eggy bread
3 large free-range eggs
75ml double cream
½ tsp ground cinnamon
4 thick slices of brioche (4cm thick)
Boozy apricots
8 apricots, halved and de-stoned
100g butter
80g soft light brown sugar
50ml double cream
50ml marsala
To serve
200ml double cream, lightly whipped
Method
1. For the eggy bread, crack the eggs into a shallow bowl. Add the cream and cinnamon and beat well with a fork to combine. Dip each slice of brioche into the egg mixture very briefly to coat, then place on a tray and bring it over to the barbecue.
2. Lay the apricot halves cut side down directly on the hot barbecue. Cook for a minute or two on each side until you have char marks on both sides. Remove to a plate, while the apricots are still holding their shape.
3. For the boozy caramel sauce, put the butter, sugar, cream and Marsala into a small cast-iron saucepan and place on the barbecue over a low to medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling.
4. You want to cook the brioche once the embers have cooled down a bit - on the edges of the barbecue to achieve a medium to low heat. Lightly oil the grid to avoid them sticking, then add the eggy brioche slices. Cook, turning every minute or so, for about 5 minutes until you get a lovely brown crust on both sides.
5. Place a slice of eggy brioche on each plate. Add the apricots and spoon on the boozy caramel sauce. Add a big dollop of whipped cream, trickle over any remaining sauce and eat immediately.