In the UK, Matt Lucas is perhaps best known for his portrayal of
the scorekeeping baby, George Dawes, in the TV comedy panel
game Shooting Stars, and for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the TV sketch show Little Britain and spoof interview
series Rock Profile.
Matt began his career in comedy on the London stand-up comedy circuit at
the age of eighteen as Sir Bernard Chumley, legendary actor and raconteur -
a character who was to appear later in BBC' Lttle Britain. in which
he played several roles which he also wrote. He rose to fame
as George Dawes, the giant baby, who would deliver a string of meaningless
gags and insults, as Marjory Dawes, George's mum, as the apparently
disabled Andy Pipkin, as the homophobic homosexual Daffyd Thomas, and
as the morbidly obese Bubbles DeVere. Matt is openly gay, and based the
character Daffyd Thomas on himself, recalling how he felt he was "the only
gay in the village" only to find out that everyone accepted it and wasn't
shocked
Lucas also gained rave reviews for his portrayal of Mr. Toad in the BBC's
production of The Wind in the Willows (2007), and played Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland
(2010). Americans may best know him for his role as the roommate of Kristen
Wiig in Bridesmaids (2011).
Matt made the headlines through the UK in October 2008 when he and his
partner Kevin McGee had what was termed the UK's first celebrity gay
'divorce'.18 months after they had entered into a civil partnership. Kevin
McGee allegedly was granted a 5 million pound settlement which was estimated as a
third of Lucas's fortune.
Ten months later, Kevin McGee
killed himself.
Matt's delightful romp as Mr. Toad makes Toad in a Hole an especially
appropriate birthday treat.
Toad in a Hole is a
traditional English dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter. The origin
of the name "Toad in the Hole" is vague. Most suggestions are that the
dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provides
the dish with its unusual name.
The concept p cooking meat in
Yorkshire pudding batter originated in
Hannah Glasse's 1747 The Art of Cookery,
which includes a recipe for Pigeons in a Hole, which is essentially pigeons
cooked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. A variety of other meats have been
used in the recipe, but sausages have remained the most popular. Enjoy
it with a viewing of
The Wind in the Willows.
|
|
- Put the flour in the mixing bowl, add salt
and mix.
- Make a well in the center and break the egg
into it.
- Slowly whisk the egg into the flour, making
a thick paste. Keep mixing in more of the flour, adding some milk if the
paste becomes too thick to manage and beating out any lumps.
- When all the flour has been incorporated,
add the rest of the milk and whisk the mixture thoroughly. The mixture
should be like single cream in consistency, but if in doubt err on the
liquid side.
- Chill the mixture. Let it rest in the
refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Smear a shallow baking pan with a little
butter to prevent sticking. Arrange sausages and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes, turn the oven up to 425°F so that the fat in the pan
becomes smoking hot.
- Remove batter from fridge and whisk before
using again.
- Reset oven temperature to 300°F. Remove
sausages from oven and pour the batter over them. Return dish to oven. Bake
for an additional 40 minutes. Resist the urge to peek or the batter will
collapse.
- Cut up the dish into portions and serve with
cooked green vegetables on the side.
|
|