Chicken & Apple Sausage Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hours,

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• Garnish:
• 2 small leeks, cleaned
• 1 large Granny Smith apple
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves
• 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• .
• Farce (Forcemeat):
• 1/2 pound finely ground chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup crushed ice
• .
• 1 lemon
• 1 pound chicken leg meat
• Pastry bag fitted with No. 8 tip
• Pre-soaked sausage casings
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cups lingonberry preserves

Preparation:

To make garnish, cut off most of the green portion of the leek and blanch in boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes until tender. Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture. Chop into small (1/4-inch) dice.

Peel, core and chop apple into small (1/4-inch) dice. Cut the onion into small (1/4-inch) dice and chop the parsley.

Heat oil in a heavy saute pan over moderate heat. When oil is hot, add the leeks, apples, onions, and parsley. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the apple/vegetable garnish to a bowl and refrigerate.

To make farce, place the ground chicken, salt, and white pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process for 30 seconds.

With motor running, drop in the crushed ice and continue to process for 1 to 2 minutes or until combined. (Crushed ice, a substitute for fat which is traditionally added at this point, will lighten the texture of the sausage.) Transfer the farce to a bowl and refrigerate.

To assemble sausage, cut the chicken leg meat into small (1/4 inch) cubes. Remove zest from lemon in strips. (You should have 1 to 2 teaspoons.) Combine chilled farce, chilled apple/vegetable garnish and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the cubed chicken meat, folding to combine.

Tie a knot at one end of the pre-soaked casing. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a No. 8 plain tip. Pipe mixture into the casing and knot the other end.

Using your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the sausage every 3 or 4 inches to separate the mixture. Twist at those points to make individual sausage lengths.

Poach sausages in a pan of water (about 160 degrees F) for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove, drain and transfer to a 350 F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until browned. (Or, saute over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned.)

Blend mustard and sour cream until smooth. Place a dollop of mustard sauce on individual plates (or, using a squeeze bottle, pipe mustard sauce in a decorative pattern across the center of the plate.) Cut the sausages into thin, slanting slices and arrange on plate. Garnish with a spoonful of lingonberry preserves to serve.

Yield: About 4 servings

Recipe Source: Cooking at the Academy by California Culinary Academy (KQED)
Reprinted with permission.