Wednesday, October 20, 2010

There Will Be Blood

There is something about the first frost that brings out the caveman - one might even say the vampire - in me. I want to wear fur and suck the meat off lamb bones, and on comes my annual craving for boudin noir, otherwise known as blood sausage. You know you've been in France for nearly a decade when the idea of eating congealed blood sounds not only normal, but positively delightful.

As a woman recently pregnant, my body craved iron in silly amounts. I could have eaten a skyscraper. It's a shame this sort of thing is not on the French pregnancy diet - forbidden along with charcuterie and liver... It's true that boudin noir is not the sort of thing I'd buy at any old supermarket - ideally, you want a butcher who prepares his own. I bought mine from a mustached man with a little truck in the Apt market. I serve my boudin with sliced apples - this time, some golden delicious we picked up from a farmstand by the side of the road. I tossed the apples with olive oil, sprinkled whole lot with sea salt and added a cinnamon stick and a star anise to ground the dish with cozy autumn spices. Boudin is already cooked through when you buy it, but 20 minutes or so in a hot oven gives it time to blister, even burst. I'm an adventurous eater, but the idea of boiled (or cold) boudin makes me think about moving back to New Jersey. (No, not really.)
By this point in the post, I know there is at least one reader (perhaps many) thinking...but, that looks like large labrador shit on a plate. True enough. But once you get past the aesthetics, you have one of richest savory tastes I can imagine. Good boudin has a velveteen consistency that marries perfectly with the slight tartness of the roasted apples.
A good boudin is not the only thing in danger of bursting in France this week. Strikes and protests against the raising of the retirement age have left students injured and 1/3 of gas stations empty. The French do love their manifs. It is admirable to have such a politically engaged public, but I suspect that the unions find the power surge of parades more useful than the search for actual solutions.

As usual, the French government has backed itself into a PR corner. I heard a govt. rep on the radio describe the issue in exasperated tones as a “problème technique” – sure, it’s technical if your job is to sit in Paris and juggle a bunch of number that no longer add up. But this is also a “problème social” – there are real people ensuring the stability of the system, and they deserve to be consulted. Pensions are a social contract – yes, there needs to be change, but the government must also find a way to communicate that that doesn’t leave people feeling screwed with their pants on. (The banner in the photo says "Reimburse the Vaseline". Which means exactly what you think it does.) Add to that the fact (strangely absent from the press) that under the new law everyone has to work longer – except parliamentarians. And they wonder why the man on the street is out for blood…

Boudin Noir with Apples and Autumn Spices

Boudin noir for 4 (you’ll need about 5-6 inches of sausage per person)
4 golden delicious apples
2 cinnamon sticks
1 star anise
Sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
A glass of white wine

Heat the oven to 400F.

Core and slice the apples, skin on. (½ inch slices).Toss apples with the olive oil. In a large ovenproof platter with low sides, arrange the boudin (cut into individual portions) and the apples. Sprinkle with sea salt and nestle in the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Cook for 20 minutes or until the boudin starts to sizzle and the apples have begun to brown.

Add a glass of white wine to the bottom of the pan. Cook five minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course. If you want to double the comfort food factor, serve with mashed potatoes. Although the dish is prepared with white wine, I serve it with a medium bodied red. If you’d like to do this as an appetizer: carefully slice the boudin into coins (1 inch thick) and prepare with apples as above. I might serve this with port – ideally, in front of a roaring fire.

7 comments:

  1. Love this recipe - thank you! We would normally eat a couple of slices of black pudding (as it's called in England and a great speciality) in a fry-up with a typical full English breakfast. But this is lovely way of serving it. Actually English black pudding has fatty pieces in it (not unlike a dried pork saucisson) which puts some people off - if they're not already. I am now determined to buy some real boudin noir when we next visit Normandy. Yum.

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  2. I've never eaten Boudin Noir ~ it sounds delicious seved with the apples ~ must seek it out.
    ~Dianne~

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  3. I love boudin noir & eat it at least once (& often twice) whenever I visit Paris. My mother & her sisters used to make it when I was a child & naturally, I wouldn't eat it. Blood sausage - ugh! Now, when I'd love some, I can't find it. It's not an American choice - at least not here in Indiana.

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  4. I've never tried boudin noir but you have made it sound appealing :) Can't say its something i've ever looked twice at but would love to give it a try.

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  5. Sigh. And I thought I was being adventurous, eating rabbit last night. Just can't do the boudin noir—no matter how delicious you make it sound!

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  6. Who knew blood sausage and strikes against raising the retirement age could be so creatively connected? Very few authors are able to connect what would otherwise be completely disconnected things. But this is your gift, Ms. Bard! Fabulous writing. I'm not a fan of blood sausage, but I'm definitely a fan of your prose.

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  7. Nothing about her writing is fabulous enough to justify her reference to "large labarador shit on a plate" in a food blog. Merde.

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