River Cottage

Preparing the blood and intestines

If you are collecting the blood from an abattoir it will need to be stirred while still warm to remove the ‘strings’ – natural clots that form as it cools. Some small abattoirs may do this for you. De-stringed blood can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours; or it can be frozen.  

Soak the casings in cold water for an hour, then rinse them thoroughly. Put one end over the cold tap and flush out with water to remove all the salt. Cut into suitable lengths (about 40cm suits me, giving a boudin of about 25–30cm when knotted at both ends). Knot one end of each length and leave in a pile in a bowl of cold water.

Making the mixture

Sieve the blood into a large clean bowl or bucket and stir in the salt, sugar, spices and alcohol. Warm the milk slightly, take off the heat, then add the breadcrumbs and leave to soak.

Finely dice the fat, and put about a quarter of it to sweat in a large heavy stockpot that is big enough to contain all the ingredients. When the fat has run a little, add the onions and sweat very gently until soft but not coloured at all. Add the rest of the fat and sweat until the pieces are slightly translucent and more fat has run. Stir in the milk-soaked breadcrumbs and the cream, then slowly pour in the seasoned blood, still stirring all the time, until it is thoroughly incorporated. The mixture will still be quite liquid.

Filling the casings

Take a length of casing and pull the unknotted open end over the opening of the nozzle. Hold the casing in place with one hand and ladle the mixture into the funnel with the other. Have something handy to unclog the nozzle (I use a chopstick) as it may occasionally get blocked with pieces of fat. Fill over a clean bowl to catch any overflow and the occasional, inevitable dropped boudin. Don’t overfill, and leave a good 5–7cm at the top to tie a second knot in the casing. Tie the knot and place the boudin gently on a large plate. Stir the mixture well before each filling to make sure the fat pieces are well distributed. Keep filling and tying off your boudins until all the mixture, including the overspill, is used up.

Cooking the boudins

Bring a large pan two-thirds full of unsalted water to the boil, then turn the heat down until the water has settled to the gentlest of simmers. Place 2 or 3 boudins in your chip basket or steamer basket and lower gently into the water. Wait patiently for them to return to a simmer, then after about 5 minutes’ very gentle simmering lift the basket to the top of the water and prick each boudin two or three times with a needle or pin. If a brown liquid comes out, they are cooked. If the liquid is still pink, put them back in the pan for a few more minutes. If at any point during the cooking, a boudin floats to the top, prick it with the needle. This should prevent it bursting.

When the boudins are done, remove from the pan and lower into a bowl of cold water. Leave for just a minute, then lay them on a cotton cloth to cool.

How many boudins you cook at a time is a matter of confidence and experience. You can increase the speed and efficiency of the operation by using 2 pans, or a large fish kettle, and poaching 6, 8 or even more at a time. You can dispense with the chip basket and simply use a slotted spoon to remove them as they are ready. But, please, go very gently at first, or you may lose a lot of boudins through bursting. And believe me, it breaks your heart, it really does.

Cooked boudins, once cool, should be wrapped in clingfilm (or better still, vac-packed) and stored in the fridge. In a properly cold fridge (4C or less) they will last for a fortnight – or a month if vac-packed. Unfortunately, they do not freeze well.

Oven-cooking method

If you can’t find a supply of natural casings, or simply want to save time and avoid the possible trauma of bursting boudins, any of the above recipes can be baked as ‘blood cakes’. Simply pour the mixture into greased loaf tins or long terrine dishes and cover loosely with buttered foil. Place in a tray of hot water and cook in a fairly moderate oven (170C/Gas Mark 3) for 45 minutes–1 hour, until set firm. Slice and eat straight from the oven, or leave to go cold and then fry slices to order.

Serving

The best home-made boudins (such as the ones above) are delicious cold, just sliced and served with a glass of wine. But to make a meal out of them (or an excellent starter), they should be thickly sliced and gently fried for a minute or two on each side, then served on a warm plate with very buttery mashed potatoes and/or slices of apple (Cox’s are best) that have been lightly fried in butter.

For more delicious recipes and uses for your boudin noir, get hold of your copy of the River Cottage Cookbook!