Far richer, far more mellow and aromatic than any other type of hard salami that you will find, Saucisson sec brings a wonderful flavor and a wonderful texture. While some saucisson sec is remarkably firm-some say even hard, the flavor is creamy and delicious. Thinly sliced, nearly wafer-like in its consistency, saucisson sec can still impart a full flavor that will leave you begging for more.

Saucisson sec is robust, a remarkable savory blending of flavors that include natural sea salt, pepper, garlic and several other spices. A traditional French sausage whose name literally means “dry sausage”, saucisson sec is anything but dry. The moderate pebbling that you will find inside the saucisson sec makes it nearly creamy in texture. For a hearty meat flavor saucisson sec is absolutely unbeatable, remarkably different from other dry sausages and salami.

Saucisson sec is rich, robust, creamy, and offers a taste that will delight any palate. Traditionally made of a tame well flavored pork, saucisson sec is also frequently made of other meats, including boar, duck, venison and sometimes goose. Every French family and every charcuterie shop has their own distinct recipe for saucisson sec. Most are naturally air dried, full flavored and amazing, no matter how you slice it. Made in a centuries old French style, the full meaty texture and flavor is satisfying whether you slice it and eat it on crusty bread or simply on its own so that you can savor the light taste of garlic and thyme that it offers.

What could be more lovely, more elegant than a saucisson, sliced paper thin, on a fresh French baguette. Top it with a light mustard or a delicious truffle butter for an appetizer that is nothing short of decadent.

Traditional salami has a slightly sweet taste, but can trend toward the tart on occasion. It has more of a greasy taste which tends to be less palatable when eaten alone. It has a rather rocky interior, large meaty pieces interspersed with a slightly higher fat content. Saucisson can be eaten by the slice, the ultimate finger food, or added to crackers, bread or many other things for an outstanding flavor.

That’s not all that saucisson sec is good for however. If you love a hearty flavor, delicate and savory, saucisson sec can impart that to other dishes in which it is an ingredient. Typically served cold, saucisson sec can be equally wonderful when served on a crusty bread, with a creamy cheese broiled over the top.

Typically the French also add saucisson sec to soups and stews to add a remarkable flavoring to a chicken dish or a hearty stew. For something completely different, try the intermingled flavors of saucisson sec on a sandwich of wafer-thin onion, along with smoked turkey and lettuce.

Once you’ve had this amazing taste temptation, no other type of summer sausage or salami will ever stack up to it again.

What could be easier to serve than pate?  Pate is available in so many varieties and can be enjoyed in so many ways.

Let’s start with the basics.  For an elegant and tasty appetizer, serve any type of pate with a sliced fresh baguette, sliced toasted baguette, or crackers.  Let your guests serve themselves, or spread the pate on the bread or toast in advance and arrange them on a platter.  Cornichons (French for “gherkin”) are the perfect accompaniment to any type of pate.  These brined little pickles made from tiny gherkin cucumbers have the perfect combination of crunchiness and tartness, which pairs very nicely with rich meaty pates.

An elegant way to serve pate as an appetizer is to fill a tiny choux pastry or gougere with a cube of pate and arrange on a platter.  For a larger party, this is a great way to serve pate if you wish to pass it on a tray.

Pate served on toasted bread or baguette along with a large green salad makes a simple, but scrumptious lunch or small meal.  Again, cornichons make a nice addition to the plate.  For a special presentation, slice the cornichon lengthwise in four to six slices and fan them out, placing one on each piece of pate.

Pate is either smooth and mousse-like or “chunky” country style.  Either type can be used for the above serving suggestions.  Rillettes, which is shredded meat slow cooked in fat (usually made of duck, pork, goose or even rabbit), can generally be used just the same as pate.  Duck rillettes is perhaps the most common form of rillettes.

Pate en croute is pate baked in a crust as a pie or a loaf.  Though pate en croute may be served with bread, it is not necessary.  To serve Pate en croute warm, place the pate in a hot oven of about 400 degrees, for about ten minutes or until the crust is warm and golden brown.  Country style pates will hold up better in the oven.  Mousse style pate en croute should only be lightly warmed, if warmed at all.

Almost any grilled meat–beef, lamb, duck, or other fowl–pairs well with a mousse style pate such as truffle mousse.  Use mousses as you would pate de foie gras.  Top a medallion of filet mignon with a generous slice of room temperature truffle mousse.  Serve duck mousse with port wine pate with rare, sliced duck breast.  Use your imagination.  The options are endless!

Boudin blanc, boudin noir, andouillete, saucisse de Morteau and saucisse de Toulouse are all traditional French sausages, yet each sausage has totally different ingredients, and it’s own unique flavor.  This article describes each type of sausage and it’s ingredients, and provides some serving suggestions.  One thing that all of the French sausages have in common is that they all pair well with and are frequently served with potatoes.

Boudin Blanc is a sausage that many people (especially the French) associate with the Christmas holiday season, though they certainly can be enjoyed throughout the year.  This tasty sausage is fully cooked and is made of chicken, pork, cream, brandy and seasoning.  The texture of the sausage is smooth, a bit creamy, and uniform in consistency, somewhat similar to a bratwurst or English banger.

Boudin Blanc can be cooked in a pan on the stove, with a small amount of oil, for about ten minutes or until fully heated and golden brown outside.  Grilling is also a great option for Boudin Blanc.  Since the sausage is light colored, the grill marks leave a nice golden brown pattern on the sausages, creating a visually appealing presentation of the sausage.

Like Boudin Blanc, Boudin Noir is also fully cooked.  Known also as blood pudding sausage, Boudin Noir is made of beef blood, pork, onions and seasoning.  This unique and delicious sausage is dark in color, especially when cooked, and pairs particularly well with mashed potatoes and/or cooked apples.  Many people like to take a bite of the Boudin Noir along with some potato, apple, or both.  Boudin Noir is easily prepared by heating the sausage in a frying pan with some butter or oil for about ten minutes.

Andouillete is another fully cooked sausage with a unique flavor profile popular with French people.  It is made of pork chitterlings, pork stomach, pork meat, onions, red wine, mustard, vinegar, parsley, and seasoning.  Andouillete, like the other sausages, can be simply heated in a frying pan with a small amount of oil.  The sausage casing will easily burst when heated, and many who enjoy andouillete prefer to eat the sausage this way.

For an interesting variation, mix equal parts of crème fraiche and whole grain mustard, and add a small amount of cognac or brandy.  When the andouillete is browned and starting to fall apart, add the sauce to the pan and heat for another mintute.

Morteau is a fourth type of traditional French sausage, which is smoked with pinewood.  Saucisse de Morteau contains pork, pork fat, and seasoning.  It has a smokey flavor and tastes somewhat like a strong dense salami, though it’s flavor is unique from other types of sausage or salami.  Morteau is sometimes used in cassoulet, pairs well with potatoes, or can simply be sliced and enjoyed cold.

Saucisse de Toulouse, a traditional south of France sausage is raw, and is made of pork, onion, white wine, and seasoning.  Like the other sausages, Saucisse de Toulouse may be cooked in a frying pan with a small amount of oil until golden brown and fully cooked.  This sausage holds up well on a grill and is a good choice for a summer BBQ.  Those who do not have a taste for some of the more unique flavored French sausages will likely enjoy Saucisse de Toulouse for it’s more traditional pork sausage flavor profile.  This sausage is also ideal for cassoulet.