A Saucission Sec tasting

[SWISS_CHEF]

We went to a 'Rond Point' grocery store in France today and picked out five different saucission sec and decided to do a little tasting. Here are the results.

The saucission were:

1. Calixte "Domaine de Mezenc.

2. Calixte '1859'.

3. Saucission sec du Sanglier - wild boar (sorry I didn't save the brand name).

4. Le Pui Zac (d' Auvergne).

5. Justin Bridou 'Le Baton de Berger aux Noisettrs,

They are arranged in order going clockwise. the 'Le Baton de Berger aux Noisettes' at the bottom with the hazelnuts is number five.

Tasting notes:

1. Calixte "Domaine de Mezenc: strong pork nose, dry and full flavored. We thought this was a very good saucisson.

2.Calixte '1859': hard and quite dry, clean pork nose but lighter and more complex and refined than number 1, this was our favorite of the group.

3. Saucission sec du Sanglier - wild boar (sorry I didn't save the brand name): closed but peppery nose. strong pepper quality....in fact, too much pepper and not enough pork flavor.

4. Le Pui Zac (d' Auvergne: It has a very strong dried pork nose. Salty and less refined than 1 or 2.

5. Justin Bridou 'Le Baton de Berger aux Noisettes: hazelnut nose but not enough flavor from the pork in my opinion. This saucission is not as good as 1,2 or 4 but the crunchy hazelnuts make it fun for an apero.

Edited May 25, 2005 by SWISS_CHEF (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Great topic, Ed.

Hey what's that you're drinking with it? What's the best wine to go with the saucisson, and what's the best thing to take for apero to compliment saucisson sec?

[SWISS_CHEF]

Great topic, Ed.

Hey what's that you're drinking with it?  What's the best wine to go with the saucisson, and what's the best thing to take for apero to compliment saucisson sec?

←

Thanks Lucy,

These were just typical grocery store saucission nothing rare or special. I wish I could have poked around at some butchers for some really special ones but I didn't have the time. However, number 1 and 2 were very good indeed. Most were priced around €23/kilo

The wine is Les Domaniers de Puits Mouret, Selection Ott, Cotes de Provence and about €11 here in Switzerland and it went very well with the saucission. Because of the amount of fat and the sort of gamey smell and taste in the saucission, I like a dry medium weight French red with good mineral quality to it. I don't really think big, plummy New World wines go with French saucission. A Jura or Alsatian white works too, if it is bone dry and concentrated.

Edited May 25, 2005 by SWISS_CHEF (log)

[Almass]

Luv all saucisson. Just had some before lunch yesterday picked up a week ago at a local village market in the Tarn. No name no brand simply asked the stall guy what to go for and he picked up (as it so happens) the most expensive and cut a piece for tasting which was dry, spicy and heavenly.

There is simply too many brands and types to waddle through and the best is to taste and buy.

I have the same problem with French cheese bought in the village markets where the cheese is unbranded as it is very artisanal and the quantity is much to small to be able to make it to a supermarket or delicatessen store. In other cases the cheese is so fresh, delicate and seasonal that you cannot even buy it after couple of weeks in the same market.

I asked him to cut me up a piece of fresh bread and top it up with six saucisson slices and ate it on the spot in the market while looking to buy some white fresh Asparagus which are not as good as the Tutonic variety but quite nice.

I like to cut the saucisson as you are eating it and lay with butter on a piece of white crusty bread with a Claret and olives before hitting lunch. But most of the time I miss the bread and end up eating it nature.

Nice pics and must try the hazelnut one day!

Edited May 25, 2005 by Almass (log)

[SWISS_CHEF]

.....while looking to buy some white fresh Asparagus which are not as good as the Tutonic variety but quite nice.

←

Hi Almass,

Thanks for the kind words. Do you know where the asparagus you bought are from? We get Greek and Spanish here too but I never buy them. They look good but they are always tough and flavorless. I only buy German or Alsatian. However....I did hear they are growing them in Cavaillon and if they do to the asparagus what they do to the melons..... we've got it made!

[SWISS_CHEF]

Gosh, do I love saucisson!!  Feeling so so deprived back here in New Jersey!!  Thanks for the photos, made my mouth water.  And of course, the saucissons at the outdoor markets are just fabulous!

There is a supermarket brand that comes in a bag of tiny "nuggets" whose name escapes me.  They come in about 4 flavors.  Does anybody know the name of this brand?

←

I know exactly what you are talking about and I will get the name the next time I'm over there.

[Almass]

Aparagus in the Tarn are now in season and although the Tarn speciality is the "Respounjous " however they have some green, violet, and white as well.

We had warm white asparagus dressed in a "hollandaise" and the stems together with the shavings went into a cream based soup. Mummmm.

I am not sure about Cavaillon, but why not? Usually you have a better chance on Friday morning in the local market of peripheral villages than the main town.

But we don't want to hijack the thread and I am going to cut more of the saucisson with more Claret.

Did you try to add feshly cut saucisson to a Cassoulet? Mummm.

[menton1]

Gosh, do I love saucisson!! Feeling so so deprived back here in New Jersey!! Thanks for the photos, made my mouth water. And of course, the saucissons at the outdoor markets are just fabulous!

There is a supermarket brand that comes in a bag of tiny "nuggets" whose name escapes me. They come in about 4 flavors. Does anybody know the name of this brand?

[SWISS_CHEF]

I am not sure about Cavaillon, but why not?

←

I googled Cavaillon asparagus and got this.

But we don't want to hijack the thread and I am going to cut more of the saucisson with more Claret.

←

Hijack away! Its all good!

Did you try to add feshly cut saucisson to a Cassoulet? Mummm.

←

No but....hmmm why not?? I have some nice dried French flagolets in the celler! Maybe its time to experiment!

Almass are you living in France?

[Almass]

Yesterday was DVD dinner and we had the following:

- Fried eggs topped with Gruyere.

- Fresh cut saucisson. This saucisson is unbranded but had a small label saying: Saucisson Sec Maigre au Jambon.

- And Heinz baked beans!!!! As no Cassoulet on tap

All washed with Bellinis!

And no I don't live in France.

[Ptipois]

Gosh, do I love saucisson!! Feeling so so deprived back here in New Jersey!! Thanks for the photos, made my mouth water. And of course, the saucissons at the outdoor markets are just fabulous!

There is a supermarket brand that comes in a bag of tiny "nuggets" whose name escapes me. They come in about 4 flavors. Does anybody know the name of this brand?

←

Must be Justin Bridou.

They were not the first to sell mini-saucissons. I believe the Saint-André brand were the first. Then several other brands dit it. Monoprix too. I think you can order the little thingies online if you type "mini-saucissons" in Google.

[menton1]

Must be Justin Bridou.

They were not the first to sell mini-saucissons. I believe the Saint-André brand were the first. Then several other brands dit it. Monoprix too. I think you can order the little thingies online if you type "mini-saucissons" in Google.

←

Not Justin Bridou, but I did finally find the brand I was thinking of. JEAN CABY, and the products are called CROC SEC. They come in 5 flavors, and the website has a new flavor "volaille" This product is among the very best available in the supermarket. Much, much better than J Bridou, IMHO. http://www.jeancaby.com

[Ptipois]

Great topic, Ed.

Hey what's that you're drinking with it?

Thanks Lucy,

I like a dry medium weight French red with good mineral quality to it.

←

Morgon seems to have been custom-made for saucisson sec.

[Ptipois]

Much, much better than J Bridou, IMHO.  http://www.jeancaby.com

←

This I can only agree with

I think Justin Bridou makes the little saucissons, though I wouldn't buy them. Here, several brands are available.

Being a saucisson fan (I've been raised on saucisson and baguette open sandwiches at tea-time), I like saucisse sèche d'Auvergne or d'Ardèche very much.

Try a saucisson au vin rouge (generally saucisson au beaujolais or au bordeaux) if you come across it. Well dried, it is very good.

[menton1]

Yes, of course, if you are near a morning market with a vendor selling artisanal Saucisson, this is a prize! We always try to have a knife in the car when we hit one of these markets, so as to have the saucisson. The only thing to watch out for is if you eat too much of it you'd better have a Zantac handy or the like!!

[bleudauvergne]

This thread had me on the lookout at the market lately, and we have a house full of guests, so I picked some up today, vension, a hazelnut, and a very nice tasting pork. I had tastes of all three before buying.

Once they're cut I'll post some pics.

[bleudauvergne]

They just called and are coming out of a museum and famished. I'll serve this before their lunch. The hazelnut, porc, and venison.

[Ptipois]

Wow, Lucy!

Beautiful! (I can resist many things but resisting a nicely sliced saucisson is above my power).

If you ever find "saucisson au beaufort" from Savoie, by all means grab it. It is scrumptious.

[SWISS_CHEF]

They just called and are coming out of a museum and famished.  I'll serve this before their lunch.  The hazelnut, porc, and venison. 

←

Beautiful! And I love the old cutting board too! Question: did the hazelnut saucission have a very strong pork flavor? I wonder if it is traditionally made in a milder style in order to not over-power the hazelnuts?

[bleudauvergne]

Hmm, let me check. The meats in the two sausages do taste very slightly different, and I would not say that the meat is less flavorful in the hazlenut, but the difference in flavor may be because of its proximity to the nuts, having absorbed some of their oils.

Question. When you serve your sausage, do you serve it cold or at room temp? We keep our sausages in the fridge although I suppose it's not entirely necessary to do so.

[SWISS_CHEF]

Question.  When you serve your sausage, do you serve it cold or at room temp?  We keep our sausages in the fridge although I suppose it's not entirely necessary to do so.

←

I slice them when they are cold but I serve all my saucission sec and jambon sec at room temperature, patés too, the same goes for all my Italian salumi.

Additionally: I think cheeses are always best at room temperature.

I can't think of anything that I serve directly from the fridge including white wine but having said that, I drink red wines cooler than room temperature but warmer than the whites. I drink some very young fruity reds as cold as a white wine in Summer.