Boudin Stuffing Recipes

BOUDIN BLANC-STUFFED TURKEY BREASTS WITH CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• For turkey and brine:
• Bring salt, sugar, and 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool, then add wine, if using. Place turkey and brine in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and chill 10-12 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine and pat dry
• Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.
• For boudin blanc:
• Soak breadcrumbs in cream in a small bowl 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring broth, chestnuts, Cognac, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt to a low simmer in a small saucepan. Cook until chestnuts are very soft but not falling apart and liquid is reduced by half, 12-15 minutes. Discard bay leaves; chill while preparing spices.
• Toast mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, and clove in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant and mustard seeds begin to pop, about 4 minutes; let cool. Finely grind toasted spices and peppercorns in spice mill or with mortar and pestle.
• Mix pork, thyme, mace, nutmeg, spice mixture, breadcrumb mixture, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Coarsely chop chestnuts and add to pork mixture, along with cooled cooking liquid. Stir pork mixture to combine.
• DO AHEAD: Boudin blanc can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly and chill.
• For assembly:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Working 1 at a time, place turkey breast on cutting board, skin side up. Holding knife parallel to work surface, cut through breast, stopping about 1/2" before you get all the way through. Open breast like a book and mound boudin blanc down center, leaving a 1" border. Fold bottom half of breast over filling, then fold top half over so it slightly overlaps. Tie at 1" intervals with kitchen twine.
• Place turkey breasts on a rack set inside a roasting pan. Add 1 cup water and roast until skin is golden brown and an instantread thermometer inserted into the center of stuffing registers 145°F (breast meat should register 160°F), 1-1 1/2 hours. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chestnuts and thyme sprigs and cook, stirring often, until chestnuts are soft, 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with chestnuts.
• DO AHEAD: Breasts can be stuffed 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

BOUDIN STUFFED BONELESS ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Starting from backbone remove all bones except for maybe the tips of the wings. Reserve bones.
• For the chicken stock:
• To a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Once heated, add the vegetables and saute until onions are translucent. Next add the chicken bones and cover with water by about 1 to 2 inches. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat and continue to simmer for about 3 to 4 hours, skimming the top as necessary. Next, remove the saucepan from the heat and strain. Either allow the stock to cool down and refrigerate or keep warm until needed.
• For the stuffed chicken:
• Stuff boudin mixture into the chicken and sew back together to reform chicken shape. Place chopped onion in bottom drip pan of a 2 piece roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Place a small piece of butter under the skin on each chicken breast. Season chicken well with Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Place in oven covered at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes, then uncover and cook an additional 15 to 30 minutes. Deglaze drip pan with white wine or chicken stock and reduce. Pour into strained chicken stock. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water and whisk until combined. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the stock mixture and bring to a boil, allowing the sauce to thicken. If the sauce is too thin, add more cornstarch slurry. If it's too thick, add more water. After chicken has rested, top with the gravy and serve with a side of smothered okra, tomatoes and butterbeans, if desired.

BOUDIN (BOUDAIN), A PORK AND RICE CAJUN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder, celery, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and salt into a large pot. Cover with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. After an hour, add the chicken liver to the pot and continue to cook for 45 more minutes or until the pork is tender.
• Strain the meat and vegetables, reserving the liquid. Finely dice the meat and vegetables with a knife, in a food processor or in a meat grinder set for a coarse grind. Once diced, place meat and vegetables in a bowl.
• Add to the bowl the cooked rice, jalapeños, thyme, oregano, paprika, green onions parsley, black pepper, and cayenne. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and combine until the filling is moist and slightly sticky. If it appears too dry, add more of the reserved liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
• To stuff into casings for sausage, first rinse the outside of the casing and then place it in a bowl of water for 30 minutes to soften. Drain the soaking water and then rinse the inside of the casing by placing one end on the kitchen faucet, turn the water on low and allow it to flow through the casing. The casing will blow up like a balloon-this is fine.
• Lightly oil the stuffing horn on your sausage stuffer with vegetable oil. Tie a knot at one end of the casing. Take the other end and gently slide the entire casing onto the horn, leaving the knot plus an additional 4 inches hanging off the end of the horn.
• Place the filling into the feeder and push it through until it starts to fill the casing. Go slowly at first and note that you'll need to massage the casing as the meat goes through it so it fills the casing evenly.
• Once you've filled the casing, to form links, pinch it every 5 inches and then twist it until it's secure. You can then cut the casing to form individual sausages.
• To cook, poke holes into the casing then then poach in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can also grill or smoke the boudin.
• Alternatively, you can either serve the filling as a dressing, or you can roll it into walnut-sized balls, dip into finely crushed crackers and fry in 350 degree oil for 2 minutes or until brown to make boudin balls.

BOUDIN DIP

Steps:

• Note: Depending on your region or access, the "boudin" or "cajun" sauage you're able to find could be raw or pre-cooked. Check the package directions to ensure which type you have. If you have cooked sausage, you can move on to the next step (there's no need to cook it again first). If you have raw sausage, it should be cooked before moving forward. If you're unsure how to cook sausage, check out this guideu00A0.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 baking dish (or similar size - should be able to hold 1 quart) with cooking spray, then set aside.
• Prepare sausage by removing casing and crumbling into small pieces (should be 1/2 inch or less in size). Tip: for best results, use your hands to crumble sausage; this way you can feel any remaining pieces of casing or other undesirable parts and remove them. Once crumbled, set sausage aside.
• Using a stand mixer (or a hand mixer + large bowl), mix cream cheese and sour cream on medium speed until smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons of green onion, and sausage to bowl, then use a spatula to thoroughly mix all ingredients together.
• Pour dip mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading out and pressing it into an even layer.
• Bake dip for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Serve immediately with remaining 2 tablespoons of green onion garnished on top.