Good Taste

"First, they have to ask what it is. Then they say 'Eww... !' "

That's a common occurrence when the topic of boudin noir is broached in Gene Giuffi's twinkling dining room.

The Cochon chef/owner has served his housemade blood sausage - emulsified pork blood, ground pork shoulder, fennel, mustard seed, coriander - both on its own and stuffed into quail, eliciting a variety of reactions.

To quell the nerves of more cautious diners, Giuffi often cuts the recipe with hemophobia-halting additions.

His latest take, studded with pecans and cherries, deep-fried, and served over cabbage, literally sweetens the deal for the squeamish, without losing one bloody ounce of its Gallic countryside character.

But bolder boudin fanatics shouldn't fret: As the weather breaks, this gateway sausage will be benched in favor of a version incorporating head of porcelet, a milk-fed Montreal piglet. - Drew Lazor