Well, the American Thanksgiving is over now, and Advent is just around the corner. That means that Christmas and New Years will soon be upon us. It's time to start planning for the feasts that we'll share with friends and family. This week is the time to decide on a theme, how many side dishes, what kind of pies, which recipe to use for the main dish...
Personally, I've been researching the main dish recipe that I may well use. For years now, I've read about and heard about Turducken. I've not yet confirmed that massive dish as my main service. It looks interesting though. Just the idea of having a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a stuffed chicken. I must say that the idea is very intreguing to me. This cajun dish that has its roots in Louisianna is heavily influenced by the traditional dish "Ballotine de Dinde". Yet at the same time, it is completely different.
While both the Ballotine de Dinde and the Turducken start off with a serious deboning job, their assembly is somewhat different. Where a Turducken will have a variety of dressing and meat, a Ballotine de Dinde will be mostly seasoned whole turkey meat, ground chicken meat, and some slices of duck foie gras. Where a Turducken will often preserve the basic shape of a Turkey, a Ballotine will be rolled into a log shape by using a towel or some plastic wrap. Where a Turducken will be roasted, a Ballotine will often be boiled in some stock. Where a Turducken will be served hot, a Ballotine will often be served cold.
The principle idea though is the same. Debone the turkey then stuff it with a very savoury filling to end up with a very savoury dish. Considering that I do enjoy galantine (a derivative of a ballotine) I think that I may well consider making this dish. I'll tweek it to my liking, I'll play with the recipe and create what I hope will be a closer tie between the traditional french dish and the cajun dish that many know and enjoy.
