A delicious traditional recipe for white pudding with Port
White pudding with Port is a celebratory charcuterie that will wow your guests at holiday meals. Here, the traditional recipe is elevated with a splash of Port, adding a subtle sweetness and refined complexity.
Although straightforward, the recipe requires a little patience and precision to achieve the ideal texture and flavor. As with Alsatian cervelas, the consistency of the filling is crucial to the final result.
Origins of White Pudding
White pudding originated in France, particularly in the northern and eastern regions. Traditionally enjoyed during the festive season, it is prized for its delicate, tender texture.
Classic white pudding is made from pork, milk, eggs, and a blend of seasonings that give it its signature pale hue. Some versions include mushrooms, as in white pudding with porcini. In this festive twist, Port is added to deepen the flavor and lend an elegant, original note to this French favorite.
Tips for Perfect White Pudding with Port
Choose fresh, high-quality ingredients: Start with top-quality meat, milk, and eggs for the most flavorful pudding. Whenever possible, choose fresh, locally sourced produce.
Mind the temperatures: When heating the milk with vegetables and spices, keep the mixture below a simmer to preserve its aromas. During poaching, maintain the water at 78 °C (172 °F) for gentle, even cooking.
Mix the preparation thoroughly: After adding the milk and Port to the minced meat, mix until the paste is completely homogeneous. This guarantees a smooth, consistent texture.
Take care of your casings: Rinse the pork casings carefully, then fill them without packing too tightly to prevent bursting during cooking.
Watch the cooking: Keep a close eye on the puddings as they poach. Overcooking will dry them out, while undercooking can make them crumble when sliced.
Let them rest: After cooking, plunge the puddings into cold water to cool, then hang them to drain thoroughly. This sets the texture and removes excess moisture.
Recipe by Gaëtan Brivot
White Sausage with Porto Wine
Ingredients
- 4 kg lean pork
- 2 kg pork back fat
- 3.5 liters whole milk
- 0.5 liters Port wine
- 2 large onions
- 4 shallots
- 600 g carrots
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 Bouquet garni
- 200 g cornstarch
- Parsley
- leek greens
- 800 g eggs
- 160 g salt
- 15 g ground black pepper
- 10 g fine spice mix, such as Rabelais
- natural pork casings
Procédé
- Grind the meat through the finest plate of your grinder, running it twice if needed for an extra-smooth texture.
- Add the seasonings, eggs, and cornstarch, then mix thoroughly.
- Bring the milk to a boil, add the chopped onions, shallots, and carrots, then stir in the bouquet garni, leek greens, parsley, and cloves. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer gently for 20 minutes to infuse.
- Strain the milk through a chinois and let it cool to about 60 °C before folding it into the meat mixture.
- Pour in the Port wine and mix until evenly combined.
- Stuff the mixture into the casings, forming even sausages.
- Heat a stockpot of water to 90 °C.
- Gently lower the sausages into the water, allow the temperature to drop to about 78 °C, and poach for 20–30 minutes.
- Lift the sausages out of the water and plunge them into cold water to halt the cooking.
- Hang the sausages to drain thoroughly.
