FRENCH PORK CREPINETTES WITH SPINACH, SAGE, AND MUSTARD SAUCE

If you've been curious about making your own sausage, thisFrench Pork Crepinettes with Spinach, Sage and Mustard Sauce recipe is for you! And if you're not up for grinding your own sausage, you can use ground pork instead!

INGREDIENTS:

5.3 oz lean pork ham 
4.2 oz pork belly 
Cleaned caul fat (you'll need to ask your butcher for this) 
1 lb spinach 
½ bunch fresh parsley 
½ bunch fresh sage 
2 ½ tsp salt 
¼ tsp white pepper 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1 tsp nutmeg 

Mustard Sauce 
3 shallots, peeled and minced 
3 tbsp butter 
3 oz white wine 
2 cups low sodium chicken stock 
1/3 cup cream
3 tbsp Dijon mustard 
2 tsp whole grain mustard 
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tools 
Cutting board 
Knife
Meat grinder 
Large bowl 
Large pot 
Colander 
Large skillet 
Instant read thermometer
Saucepan 

Note: Ask your local butcher for small batch grind custom grind to grind it yourself. You can also ask the butcher to grind it for you if you don't have a meat grinder OR you can substitute ground pork. You must have caul fat in order to perform this recipe correctly - caul fat is the thin, lacy membrane that covers the internal organs. Your butcher should be able to provide this (you may need to request ahead of time), you can also purchase online. 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut meat into strips and grind with a medium size die into a large container. Evenly sprinkle seasoning over ground meat and mix by hand. Be careful not to over mix because we will need to add the spinach and herbs later.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil and prepare an ice bath. Once water is boiling add spinach and remove after a few seconds. Place in an ice bath and remove when cool. Dry out the spinach by pressing it against a colander. Rough chop spinach, parsley, and sage. Add to the ground sausage and mix by hand until it holds together.
3. Lay out caul fat on a lightly damp cutting board. Portion balls of 150g (5.3 oz) of sausage mix and then flatten into a patty. Place the patty on the caul fat and wrap the caul fat over the meat.
4. Heat a pan with light butter and olive oil and make a hard sear on the exposed side of the caul fat. After a few minutes turn over the pork crepinette and finish pan roasting until the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
5. For the mustard sauce, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted.
6.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add the shallots, and cook until translucent. 
7. Add the white wine and reduce by 1/4. 
8. Add the chicken stock and reduce by 1/2. 
9. Add the cream and both mustards and reduce until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  
10. To serve, top each crepinette with a spoonful of mustard sauce. Goes great with acidic salad or frites.