Waterfowl Butifarra Dulce sausage from Girona

Name: Waterfowl Butifarra Dulce sausage from Girona
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 500 g Ground migratory bird meat geese, snow geese or ducks; 500 g 85% fat ground pork 70% fat — aim for 30% fat in the total blend; 18 g Salt; 2 g Ground black pepper; 4 g Sweet paprika (Spanish Pimentón) real Spanish pimentón, not grocery-store paprika; 3 g Ground cinnamon ground, about 1 teaspoon; 20 g Anicet summer honey or another characterful artisanal Québec honey; 1 unit Lemon zest zest of half a lemon, finely grated; 30 ml Dry or off-dry sherry 2 tablespoons — Amontillado or Oloroso ideal; 30 ml Heavy cream 35% 2 tablespoons; 600 g Parsnip peeled and cubed (2 cm); 60 g Butter 4 tablespoons, salted; 80 ml Heavy cream 35% 1/3 cup, warm; 3 unit Cortland apples peeled, cored, quartered; 45 ml Butter 3 tablespoons, for brown butter; 30 ml Maple sugar 2 tablespoons, or brown sugar; 250 ml Boreal berries 1 cup — cranberries, lingonberries or serviceberries; Black pudding optional, sliced and grilled as side

A sweet sausage with honey and sherry, made with St. Lawrence geese.

Prep45 min

Cook25 min

Yield6 to 8 servings

DifficultyEasy

theuplandcook.com/en/recipes/butifarra-dulce-girona

Ingredients

Sausage blend

500 g — Ground migratory bird meat (geese, snow geese or ducks)
500 g — 85% fat ground pork (70% fat — aim for 30% fat in the total blend)
18 g — Salt
2 g — Ground black pepper
4 g — Sweet paprika (Spanish Pimentón) (real Spanish pimentón, not grocery-store paprika)
3 g — Ground cinnamon (ground, about 1 teaspoon)
20 g — Anicet summer honey (or another characterful artisanal Québec honey)
1 — Lemon zest (zest of half a lemon, finely grated)
30 ml — Dry or off-dry sherry (2 tablespoons — Amontillado or Oloroso ideal)
30 ml — Heavy cream 35% (2 tablespoons)

Parsnip purée

600 g — Parsnip (peeled and cubed (2 cm))
60 g — Butter (4 tablespoons, salted)
80 ml — Heavy cream 35% (1/3 cup, warm)

Caramelized apples

3 — Cortland apples (peeled, cored, quartered)
45 ml — Butter (3 tablespoons, for brown butter)
30 ml — Maple sugar (2 tablespoons, or brown sugar)

Garnish

250 ml — Boreal berries (1 cup — cranberries, lingonberries or serviceberries)
Black pudding (optional, sliced and grilled as side)

Steps

01Grind and season the meat
Cut the migratory bird meat and pork into 2 cm cubes. Refrigerate 30 minutes to keep the meats very cold. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the salt, pepper, sweet paprika, ground cinnamon, Anicet honey, grated lemon zest and sherry. Whisk to a uniform marinade — the honey should be dissolved.
02Grind and fold in the cream
Pass the meat and pork through a grinder with the medium plate. Transfer to a large cold bowl. Add the 35% cream and mix thoroughly by hand (or with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle on low speed) until the mixture starts turning tacky.
03Marinate 4 hours (or overnight)
Pour the honey-sherry marinade over the ground meat. Mix energetically by hand for 3 minutes so every piece gets coated. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface. Refrigerate 4 hours minimum, ideally overnight. It's during this rest that honey and cinnamon soak deep into the meat.
04Prep casings and stuff
Two hours before stuffing, soak the casings in warm water to desalt. Rinse the inside. Set up the sausage stuffer. Slide on a casing, tie a knot at the end. Stuff at a steady pace, pricking out air pockets with a fine needle if needed. Twist every 12 to 15 cm to form individual sausages.
05Make the parsnip purée
Place the parsnip cubes in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 18 to 20 minutes until a knife blade slides in without resistance. Drain and dry 2 minutes in the hot pot off the heat. Push through a fine sieve or food mill (not a food processor, which makes it gluey). Return to the pot, add cubed butter and warm cream. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and silky. Season with salt and pepper.
06Caramelize the apples in brown butter
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it turns hazelnut-colored and smells like toasted nuts — about 2 minutes, watch closely or it burns. Add the Cortland apple quarters and maple sugar. Brown for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring gently, until the apples are tender but still firm and well caramelized. Keep warm.
07Cook the sausages
Two options: skillet or oven. Skillet: medium-low heat with a bit of vegetable oil, flip every 2 minutes, lightly pricking with a needle to release steam. Count 15 to 18 minutes total. Oven: 350°F (180°C) on a rack over a sheet pan, about 20 minutes flipping halfway. The sausages should be well browned on all sides and reach 160°F (71°C) internal.
08Plate Catalan-style
On each warm plate, spread a generous spoonful of parsnip purée. Place two Butifarra sausages on top. Arrange three or four caramelized apple quarters around. Scatter a spoonful of boreal berries. If you're serving grilled black pudding on the side, place it alongside, not on top. Serve immediately.

Butifarra Dulce sausage from Girona with migratory birds served on parsnip purée with caramelized Cortland apples, crumbled black pudding and fresh cranberries