Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [63]
THE QUENELLE TEST
The quenelle test provides an idea or what the finished sausage will taste like, while there’s still time to tweak it if desired. Wrap a small bit of the mixture in plastic wrap (be sure to keep the rest of the mixture cold during your tests), roll it up tightly, and tie both ends; it should be about the size of your thumb, just big enough to check the seasoning and the texture and firmness. Drop the quenelle into water that’s between 160 to 180 degrees F./71 to 82 degrees C, just below a simmer. When the interior of the quenelle reaches 150 degrees F./65 degrees C. (stick the thermometer through the plastic wrap) unwrap and taste it. Is it seasoned properly? If not, add more salt or appropriate seasonings to the mixture and mix briefly to distribute the seasonings. If your quenelle has an uncomfortably mealy texture, however, or if your plastic wrap is filled with melted fat, you have a broken forcemeat on your hands: excellent nutrition for pets.
EMULSIFIED SAUSAGE
To make an emulsified sausage, one in which fat and meat are uniformly dispersed in a finely textured sausage, the ice-cold fat and meat are ground a second time with ice, then mixed with the paddle attachment of a standing mixer for several minutes until a heavy paste forms.
The emulsified meat should have a smooth, uniform texture. Any interior garnish, such as finely diced ham, should be folded into the sausage mixture at this stage.
GARNISHING
Many emulsified sausages contain chunks of meat, fat and/or nuts, what professional chefs refer to as “interior garnish.” For example, consider using chunks of smoked ham or smoked tongue in a pork sausage. The solid chunks of meat in the finely textured sausage add great visual appeal, flavor, and another texture. Don’t hesitate to use the same sort of garnish you might find in a pâté for an appropriate sausage, such as chunks of cooked mushrooms or fresh herbs, for visual impact and more flavor.
STUFFING
The technique is the same as for fresh sausage (see page 110), but we do not recommend using the KitchenAid stuffer attachment because of the risk of the mixture’s breaking and the mess of feeding a paste through the tube. If you do not have a stuffer, you can use a canvas pastry bag.
Instead of stuffing the sausage into casings, you can pipe it out of a pastry bag directly into hot poaching liquid (preferably stock, but water will work).
POACHING
Bring a large pot of water to a temperature between 160 and 180 degrees F./71 to 82 degrees C. Add the sausages. They will want to float, so place some sort of weight on top to keep them submerged and ensure even cooking: if your pot has a steamer insert, this works nicely; a plate or smaller lid will also work. Monitor the temperature of the sausages from time to time with an instant-read thermometer. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl or pot.
When the interior temperature of the sausages reaches 150 degrees F./65 degrees C., about 15 to 20 minutes, remove them from the pot and submerge them in the ice bath to halt the cooking and chill them thoroughly (about 10 minutes, or to a temperature of 60 degrees F./15 degrees C.).
Some sausages are smoked first and then poached to finish the cooking. This section includes emulsified sausages that are not smoked. Smoked emulsified sausages are included in the final section of this chapter.
Once the sausages are poached and chilled, they can be reheated in a pan, in the oven, or on a grill, or poached again. But they are fully cooked at this stage, and you could safely eat them cold if you wished. The reason you reheat them is to give their skin a little more flavor through caramelization in the sauté pan or oven, or on the grill, and for overall flavor and succulence.
Basic Emulsified Sausage: