Boudin à la Reine is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of chicken white meal bound with bechamel sauce that's coated in breadcrumbs before frying. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Boudin à la Reine.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook. This recipe traditionally uses duck or goose giblets (at least in the original version) but also works very well with turkey giblets.
Original Recipe
(M. Ude's Recipe.)
961. INGREDIENTS — The remains of cold roast fowls, 1 pint of Bchamel No. 367, salt and cayenne to taste, egg and bread crumbs.
Mode.–Take the breasts and nice white meat from the fowls; cut it into small dice of an equal size, and throw them into some good Bchamel, made by recipe No. 367; season with salt and cayenne, and put the mixture into a dish to cool. When this preparation is quite cold, cut it into 2 equal parts, which should be made into boudins of a long shape, the size of the dish they are intended to be served on; roll them in flour, egg and bread—crumb them, and be careful that the ends are well covered with the crumbs, otherwise they would break in the frying—pan; fry them a nice colour, put them before the fire to drain the greasy moisture from them, and serve with the remainder of the Bchamel poured round: this should be thinned with a little stock.
Time.–10 minutes to fry the boudins.
Average cost, exclusive of the fowl, 1s. 3d.
Sufficient for 1 entre.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
2 cold, roast, chickens
600ml long-method béchamel sauce
salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
1 egg
200g breadcrumbs
Method:
Remove the breast meat and any other good quality white meat from the chickens then cut into small, equal-sized dice. Make the béchamel sauce and whilst still hot combine about 400ml with the chicken chicken then season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Set aside to cool.
When the mixture is cold cut into two portions and shape into blunt ovals that will fit well into the serving dish. Beat the egg and pour onto a small plate. Place the breadcrumbs on another plate. Dip the boudins first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, ensuring they are evenly coated all over.
Heat oil to a depth of about 5mm in a frying pan, add the boudins and fry until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper and serve accompanied by the remainder of the béchamel sauce (which should be thinned with a little stock).
