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.

http://www.enjoyfoiegras.com/products/saussages/mpmergsau.html Merguez sausage is a spicy Moroccan lamb sausage frequently used with couscous or French cooking.

Merguez is wonderful as a breakfast sausage, with couscous or ratatouille, or on a fresh baguette with brie cheese. This merguez, produced by Fabrique Delices is one of the best on the market!

I learned about merguez lamb sausages about eight years ago when I noticed that a favorite French cafe, La Note, in Berkeley had them on the breakfast menu.  Merguez sausages are quite versatile.  They work equally well for breakfast, with couscous, or on a fresh baguette with brie.  The owners of La Note were nice enough to give me the name of the manufacturer, Fabrique Delices, which indirectly led to the eventual launch of our foie gras and charcuterie website, EnjoyFoieGras.com.

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I saw on twitter posted by RecipesCuisine.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups fava beans, blanched and peeled

4 shallots, chopped roughly

foie gras fat or olive oil

2 lb scallops

4 – 8 merquez sausages

16 basil leaves, chopped, plus leaves for garnish

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 egg yolks

pink pepper

sea salt

black pepper

Instructions

Lightly whisk cream and egg yolk in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Sautee shallots in foie gras fat or olive oil until lightly browned.  Set aside.  Sautee merguez for about 5 minutes until brown (do not overcook).  Sprinkle crushed pink pepper and sea salt on scallops.  Sear scallops in a pan with olive oil.   Meanwhile, add fava beans, basil and chicken broth to shallots and warm.  Then add cream and egg mixture.  Add salt and black pepper to taste.  Heat through on low heat.

To serve, place creamed fava bean mixture on plate.  Place one or two sausages on top of fava beans.  Place seared scallops on top of fava beans.  Garnish with basil leaves.