Pork, caramelised apple and fennel sausage roll

Method

1. Toast the fennel seeds in a large, dry frying pan over a low heat for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Crush lightly in a mortar and pestle and set aside.
2. Using the same pan, heat the vegetable oil over a low heat. Sweat off the onions and garlic for 8–10 minutes until lightly caramelised, to give a bit of sweetness. Add the toasted fennel seeds, sage, rosemary and thyme and set aside to cool.
3. Wipe out the pan then melt the butter in it over a medium–high heat. Add the apples and toss gently in the butter for 2 minutes, then add the sugar. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is lightly caramelised, then add the vinegar to deglaze the pan. Set aside.
4. Combine the mince, breadcrumbs, salt and apples in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion and garlic mixture and mix it through with your hands for 3–5 minutes, until all the elements are evenly distributed through the mince.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a sheet roughly 30 × 50 cm (12 × 20 in), and 5 mm (1/4 in) thick. Cut it into four pieces 15 × 25 cm (6 × 10 in), with the long edges towards you.
6. Divide the sausage mix evenly between the four sheets, making a line of filling from left to right a third of the way up each sheet. (At the bakery we use a large piping [icing] bag for this.)
7. Lightly brush the beaten egg along the top edge of each piece, then roll the pastry up from the bottom of each roll, away from you, folding it over the sausage mix. Seal the roll on the egg-washed edge so the seam sits underneath the meat.
8. Egg wash the top and sides, then sprinkle with fennel seeds and lightly pierce along the top with a fork. Cut each roll in half, then lay your sausage rolls on a tray lined with baking paper and rest them in the fridge for half an hour.
9. Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Bake the sausage rolls from cold for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C (320°F) and bake for a further 30 minutes until golden. Allow the sausage rolls to rest for 10 minutes before eating.