For one reader, those were fighting words.
"How dare you dismiss Pigs in a Blanket as cocktail food in your 'Mad Men' article? Pigs in a Blanket are nostalgic and comforting and delicious. Why don't you give us an updated version of these? I make them old-school and use the refrigerated crescent rolls but I wouldn't mind a more sophisticated version. It's OK to diss dips made out of condensed soup but not Pigs in a Blanket!"
Why not update Pigs in a Blanket? The core concept is pretty basic: Wrap cocktail wieners or hot dogs in crescent roll dough, bake them, then dip them in some sort of sauce. Here's what I suggested to the Pigs in a Blanket fan:
- Instead of hot dogs or those little smoked sausages, use some of the great sausage links you find at the meat counter of many groceries, where you can find turkey sausages studded with bits of apple, lamb sausages that have Greek seasoning and feta cheese, and spicy links of chorizo. To use them in Pigs in a Blanket, they'll need to be cooked first then cooled before wrapping them in dough. These sausages are more plump than regular hot dogs, so after they're cooked, consider cutting them in half length-wise, and then again across the width.
- In place of the crescent rolls, try puff pastry. Pre-made sheets can be found in the freezer section. Once thawed, you cut them to the desired shape and then wrap them around the sausage the same way you would use the crescent roll dough. Then bake them following the packaging's suggested baking times, brushing them with a little melted butter midway through to give them some added sheen and flavor.
- Lots of people dunk baked Pigs in a Blanket in ketchup or mustard. Think about other things that might be fun for dipping them in. If you use those Greek sausages, tzatziki would be fun. If you make Pigs in a Blanket with chorizo, maybe adobo sauce or green tomatillo salsa.
- If that's more work than you want, Trader Joe's sells frozen Pigs in a Blanket that are made with great sausage and puff pastry. Just pop them into the oven, then serve them to your crowd of "Mad Men" fans.