These Black Pudding Bon Bons are a slight twist on the classic recipe Scallops with pea puree, black pudding, and bacon. Omitting the Scallops is a welcome change for those not partial to seafood – with this recipe, black pudding becomes the star of other shows.
This is one of those recipes that sounds a lot fancier than it is. Black pudding bonbons are very simple to make – crispy and delicious they go perfectly with the smooth textured pea puree and the crunchy prosciutto.
If you plan to make this dish for a dinner party, all the elements are made ahead of time – the pea puree simply requires warming through the black pudding bon bons and takes just a couple of minutes in the fryer. The prosciutto can be served warm or cold or made into a crumb beforehand and sprinkled over the dish just before serving.
Black Pudding bonbons also create an excellent canape or tasty addition to any buffet – pictured down served in a small copper pan. Also, make a great alternative to traditional ebony pudding for breakfast – serve with asparagus and poached eggs for an elegant Sunday brunch.
This formula creates 6 bon bons – sufficient for three each as a starter as it is a lovely recipe for a late evening or special dinner, however, the quantities can easily be doubled or tripled if you are serving more people. Purists will probably argue my pea puree isn’t as smooth as it could be – I prefer it with some consistency left in – but if you’d like something extra smooth see this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
• 80grams black pudding (roughly two rounds about half an inch thick)
• 50grams breadcrumbs (these can be homemade or shop-bought)
• 1 Egg
• Flour for dusting
• 100grams of frozen peas
• 1 stock cube
• 2 slices of Prosciutto
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the deep Fat Fryer to 170 degrees
- Bring a small pan of water to a boil and add the frozen peas and stock cube
- While the peas cook, prepare the bonbons. Crumbles the black pudding into little bits and then brings them back together to roll them into six small balls.
- Whisk the egg and add it to a small bowl. Place the flour on a small dish and the breadcrumbs on another. Roll each black pudding ball in flour first, dip into the egg mixture and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Repeat for all six black pudding balls, always dipping in the flour first as this is what the egg sticks to.
- Place the Bon Bons into the fryer basket but do not dunk them into the oil yet.
- When the peas are delicate, use a sieve to drain two-thirds of the cooking water/stock into a separate bowl. A hand blender to blitz the peas, adding more water/stock if needed. Set aside the pan should keep the peas warm until needed.
- Carefully lower the Bon Bons into the fryer and cook for two to three minutes. Checks they are piping hot all the way through before serving. While the Bon Bons are cooking, place the prosciutto into a non-stick frying pan to crisp up – this should only take a minute or two.
- Place three spoonfuls of pea puree on each plate. Top the Black Pudding Bon Bon and add the Proscuitto Crisps.
Start with your black pudding, in a bowl or pan add a little water and squidge the black pudding through your fingers, messy but will return the black pudding to a paste. Once you have your paste add your pork and make sure everything is well combined. Portion the mixture into little balls roughly the size of ping-pong balls. Finally, dust them in flour, dip them into the egg, and roll in the oats. Deeply fry in some oil for around 5 minutes.
