A Meaty Issue

This discussion is pointed directly at my carnivore friends.  My vegetarian friends might want to skip this piece.

As you may recall from previous writings, during my time in Paris I had a lovely lunch at Les Violon d’Ingres.  The most significant part of that meal was the tete du veau.  Yes, that would be calf brains, which were most delicious.  In each bite I would take a small portion of the solid, meaty part, combine it with an equally sized portion of the soft, buttery part and place that with a piece of boiled new potato.  I would swirl that through the citrus-based sauce and allow that excellent combination of textures and tastes to dissolve in my mouth.  I would follow each portion with a sip of a wonderful 2006 Lalande de Pomerol wine from the Chateau Grand Ormeau.

The commonality of the breakfast experiences I have had at the Abbotsford Country House center around an organ meat extravaganza.  Each breakfast has produced an outstanding taste sensation.  The composition of the meal is generally the same.  There is a large portion of fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter.  There is a halved, lightly fried fresh tomato topped with slivers of pecorino romano.  There are several thick slices of locally smoked bacon (smoked with Gum wood).  There are two perfectly poached eggs.  Finally there is a portion of either Black Pudding or White Pudding or Haggis.

What is the most exciting to me is the taste of those perfectly spiced organ delicacies when combined with a portion of the poached egg.  It is literally a melt in your mouth experience.  The Black Pudding is a combination of leans pig pieces (ear, kidney, spleen, heart, etc.) prepared with a grain in pig’s blood and spiced primarily with allspice and marjoram.  The White Pudding combines the fatty pigs pieces (cheeks, tongue, belly scraps, liver), again prepared with a grain in pig’s blood and spiced primarily with allspice.  The Haggis is a combination of all of the above organ and meat portions but prepared in their own juices and sans the blood.

At the beginning, like with the calve brains, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth.  Sometimes that can be a big mistake.  This time it was a delicious treat.  While such a culinary adventure may not be in your future, should you happen upon the opportunity, take it.  Like Casey Stengel once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Bon Appetit.