- Ballotine
A ballotine is a piece of meat, fish, or poultry that has been boned, stuffed and then rolled and tied into a bundle. It is then usually poached or braised. Dishes include the breasts of chicken pressed between cling film and 'hammered' with a variety of stuffings. It is alleged that ballotine of turkey is a classic dish among high society England and is claimed to be the Queen's favourite Christmas lunch. The dish is becoming more popular with 'multi-bird roasts', which comprises a range of birds stuffed inside each other using the same technique.
Multi Bird Roast
Also referred to as
Turducken , this is not a phrase in common parlance in the UK, with many chefs and 'authoritative sources' preferring the multi-bird roast.A dish with its origins in Victorian and Edwardian excess, three and four bird roasts are common place with dishes of 12, 17 and 21 at the height of the skill, often created for festive occasions.
Technique
Based on boning a chicken, which can be adapted for other birds, game birds such as pheasant have stronger leg sinews which must also be removed.
# Locate the wish bone, slice down either side and remove.
# Cut the skin down the center of the back, neck to tail.
# Begin separating the skin and meat from the carcass using small cuts, beginning at the neck. Remove the "funny bone", which is a saber-like bone near wing.
# Cut through the wing joint.
# Work down to the oyster, cut through and separate the thigh joint from the carcass. Cut meat away to the keel bone or center of the breast. (Do the other side)
# Pull the whole carcass free of meat.
# Holding the thigh joint scrape the meat to the knee.
# Cut around the cartilage and locate the top of the leg bone.
# Scrape to the end of the drumstick.
# Cut the end of the drumstick with poultry shears {or a very sharp knife}. Turn leg right side out. (Do the other side)
# Holding the top of the wing joint, scrape the meat to the first joint.
# Snap the bone out of its joint. (Do the other side)
Source [http://eleda.com/ballotine.htm]References
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