Christmas food treats
I’ve written before about the pleasures of a capon for Christmas dinner – and despite the rather dubious practices involved in raising capons I think we’ll be having another this year for Christmas dinner. But by way of a treat I thought we might try something new as well.
One thing I’ve never yet been able to force myself to try is ‘boudin blanc’. Made from very minced pork, eggs and milk, these look extremely pale and unappealing, but many people swear they are a great treat. Note, the boudin blanc is cousin to ‘boudin noir’, broadly the French equivalent to black-pudding.
Well to entice us for Christmas, producers make a special version – boudin blanc with truffles. On the news last night it showed people being overcome with joy and positively dancing in the street after tasting a tiny slice so even I might weaken and give it a try.
On a more conventional note, Christmas log is of course unavoidable since I haven’t seen a Christmas pudding for years, but unlike the mass-produced christmas logs we all know, love and avoid ours will be a highlight of Christmas day. Our local cake shop makes some of the tastiest cakes in France (also among the most expensive!) and will be open on Christmas morning specially to supply their delicious pre-ordered Christmas logs to the lucky few.
Despite being promised veal hamburgers, even our daughter had a decent christmas lunch at school – duck liver mousse on toast followed by…roast duck with potatoes dauphinoise. We’re big on duck in Lot-et-Garonne, as you might have gathered.
I would love the opportunity to have all my family here for Christmas and serve them boudin blanc with truffles followed by capon then perhaps a slab of foie gras, just to see at what point somebody forces themselves to eat something.
But I’d still keep all the Christmas log to myself.
Boudin blanc gets my vote Mr B. Might I be so bold as to suggest that you try it with scrambled egg? The textures and tastes seem to marry very well.
We have had to forego our Christmas pudding this year: with the kitchen bieng in bits since late September we have had no facilities in which to make it.
So I don’t know what we’re having this year. But it won’t be the same…
Our younger daughter can never remember the English phrase ‘scrambled eggs’ and always calls them ‘mashed eggs’. That’s the price of a French education I suppose.
I’ll give your suggestion a try – we’ve got some friends from the UK coming for Christmas so perhaps we’ll treat them!
Incidentally seems that boudin blanc is not just a French thing – see gumbo – boudin in Louisiana