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| Photo: Steve Shanahan |
First published Canberra Times 28 September 2011. Strange but
true, it was the hospital system in France, with a kind of gruesome
appropriateness, that ignited my passion for blood oranges and blood pudding. I
hadn’t tried either of these foods until illness forced a brief stay in a provincial
hospital in Saumur in the Loire Valley a few years back. These two foods,
linked by name only, were on offer daily to the patients, along with a decadent
menu of meals that incorporated fresh, locally grown produce.
Subsequently,
during my long, slow recovery from glandular fever, it is the sweet, European, red-pigmented
oranges, the size and quality of which is not seen in Australia, that I still crave. This wonderful fruit is offered three times a
day to patients and more often if you want it at the end of each meal.
In a daily
menu that would make the gruel served in Aussie hospitals taste like workhouse fare,
the standouts were a tender chicken casserole (similar to Coq au Vin), blood
pudding, and the fattest, whitest asparagus you’ve ever seen, braised in butter
with eschalots. I’m not sure if you could consider it health food, but at least
you could die happy.
But it is
the steaming morning cafe au lait in large bowls, served with my childhood
favourite, Dutch crispbreads, unsalted butter and little ceramic pots of jam that
win me over. I am mildly amused that even in hospital, food is one of the main
games and is taken very seriously by patients and staff alike. As if
highlighting the importance of culinary perfection as an essential part of the
cure, the doctors check in with patients during mealtimes to ensure that the
food reaches the high standards that they expect.
In keeping
with French custom, meals in the hospital are served in a number of small
courses and the main meal of the day is lunch, always served with a good wine.
Seriously! I am presented with an interestingly dark sausage, potatoes dauphinoise
and juicy salad greens that I later learn are called maché. I eat
most of the sausage, finding its rich meat deliciously piquant with a hint of
nutmeg. It’s only a few days into my stay that I discover what this is!
One doctor
is fluent in English and my French is limited, so discussing the finer points
of the food is not an option, but I befriend another patient and we manage to
communicate. When she points at the veins in her arms and then at the sausage,
it all becomes horrifyingly clear. Now I know what I’m eating, I feel there is
something not quite right about serving blood pudding in a hospital. I may have
been still a little delirious as I imagine all sorts of weird things, but
mostly wonder where the blood is sourced from. My focus turns to blood oranges.
Dessert is
always served in this hospital, and is generally a fruit pudding or a crème
anglaise. My memory of the blood orange pudding has stuck with me - the colour
of the fruit penetrates the sponge crumb, creating a rainbow of pinky-orange,
making it perfect for a spring dessert.
This recipe calls for orange segments, and I learned this knife
technique, also known as supreming, while in France. With a sharp knife, cut
off the bottom and top of the orange, so the flesh is exposed and the orange
can stand upright on a cutting board. Cut away the peel and the pith, following
the curve of the fruit with your knife. Hold the orange in one hand over a bowl
and cut the segments out of their connective membranes from each side and let them
fall into the bowl. Reserve any juice to use later.
These blood orange upside down puddings are best eaten warm from the
oven, served with a berry sauce.
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| Photo: Steve Shanahan |
Pudding
125g unsalted butter and a little extra to grease
5 large blood oranges, peeled and segmented
175g caster sugar
1 tbsp water
2 large eggs
125g self raising flour, sifted
1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 tsp vanilla paste
zest of 1 orange, finely grated
2 tbsp blood orange juice
Berry Sauce
300g mixed berries, frozen or fresh
150g caster sugar
juice of 1 orange
Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter 6 or 7 small pudding moulds, depending
on the size. Toss the blood orange segments with 50g of the sugar in a small
bowl. Heat a wide pan over a high heat
and add the blood orange and sugared segments with 1 tbsp of water and cook for
a minute or so until slightly softened but still holding their shape. Spoon
them into the prepared moulds, along with the juices. Set aside to cool while
making the sponge mixture.
Cream the butter and remaining 125g caster sugar together in a bowl
until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at the time, adding 1 tbsp of
flour with the second egg. Beat in the vanilla and orange zest. Fold in the
rest of the flour in two batches, and then finally the orange juice until just
evenly combined.
Spoon the mixture into the moulds to two-thirds filled, and smooth off
the tops. Stand on a baking tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until risen.
Test by inserting a thin skewer into the centre, it should come out clean.
While the puddings are baking, make the berry sauce. Put the berries,
sugar, juice into a wide pan and stir over a high heat until the berries have
burst and softened. Cook for 10 minutes or so, until the mixture is thick.
Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Once the puddings are cooked, leave them in their moulds for a few
minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge of each one to loosen. Invert
them onto individual plates, serving with a spoonful of berry sauce and a
drizzle of cream. Photos by Steve Shanahan
