These pork Crépinettes- Krepinet- are small patties that are moist and full of flavour with a relatively coarse texture. A dish that was once widely prepared on the islands and is now almost forgotten.
What is Crépinette?
A crépinette is a French creation that was introduced to the Seychelles by the French settlers. It is a mixture of minced meat wrapped in a comforting blanket of caul fat. The classical stuffing of the crépinette can be made of ground pork, chicken fillets, finely ground game birds (partridge, woodcock, pigeon), and also lamb sweetbreads, calf kidneys, liver, rabbit, and sliced eel. It can even be made from truffles. In Seychelles, because pork was readily available, pork meat has always been traditionally used.
Although it has a different casing from sausage, it is often described as a sausage dish. It is sometimes even referred to as a sausage parcel. Crépinettes can be made into various shapes, including that of small sausages. In Seychelles the Krepinet is flattened looking like a small pattie.
Origin of Crépinette
Crépinette derives from the French word ‘crépine’ which means “pig’s caul fat”. The name originated in the second half of the 13th century as “a small ornamental crêpe”, being derived from the word crêpe. In cookbooks, the term crépinette is sometimes used to indicate the contents of the crépinette only. The term is now commonly used to describe both the contents and the dish itself.
What is caul fat?
From a culinary standpoint, there are three basic types of animal fat or lard: fatback, leaf lard, and caul fat. Caul fat, also known as lace fat, omentum, crépine or fat netting, is the thin, lacy fat membrane which surrounds the internal organs of some animals, such as cows and pork.
It is extremely delicate and is not usually used as a fat that needs to be rendered since there is so little of it. It is utilized for its casing capabilities because of its unique construction. In other words, in between the strands of fat is a very thin membrane that will encase whatever you wrap it in and protect it while it cooks.
Buying Caul Fat
Finding caul fat can be a challenge. Your best bet is to inquire at a local butcher shop. They might not have any on hand, but if you put in a request, they may be able to save it for you. If you are unable to find caul fat at a local butcher shop, another option is to buy it online from specialty stores and butchers.
How to prepare caul fat for use or for freezing.
When you receive your caul fat, it does need a little bit of prep work before it can be used for the first time or before it heads to your freezer. You may find that it is pinkish in color and has an off-odour to it. Never fear. This is completely normal. It just takes some soaking to bring it up to cooking standard.
- Soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes.
- Drain, rinse, and return to the bowl. Cover with white vinegar or lemon juice. Soak for 1 hour.
- Drain, rinse well under running water.
- Drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
If you wish to freeze your caul fat, fold it up, wrap in cling film and then freezer paper, and store in the freezer. When you are ready to use your caul fat from the freezer, allow it to defrost before use.
If you wish to use it straight away, dip it in warm water for about 5 minutes. This minimises the incidence of tearing. Lay it flat , pat dry and then trim off excess fat if any, and cut it to the size required. For this recipe you will need to cut portions of about 9-10 cm square. Allow for wastage because you will have to trim the thicker fat bits.
Storing Caul Fat
Since caul fat is almost all fat, it will freeze well and can be kept in the freezer for six months or more. If possible, store small half-kilo packages of caul fat in airtight plastic bags, using what you need without thawing the rest. Caul fat is very perishable and, when not frozen, should be used within three days.
What Does Caul Fat Taste Like?
The flavour of the caul fat depends on which animal it comes from and what the animal was fed when alive. In general, it is safe to say that caul fat has a mild and sweet flavour, a great enhancer of the flavours of other meats, but not an overpowering taste. In the case of pork, the most used of caul fats, it tastes mildly like bacon.
Cooking Crépinettes–Krepinet
Cooking crépinettes-krepinet- is usually done in a pan, under a grill or in an oven. During the cooking, the caul fat will melt away, adding moisture and flavour to the filling. By the time the caul fat has melted, the filling within would have been cooked and it will continue to hold its shape. I recommend that you start by cooking the seam side down first in order to minimise the possibility of the membrane unwrapping.
What pork cuts to use?
You need a pork cut that has some fat or else you may end up with fairly dry patties. My suggestion is to use pork belly mince with the skin removed. This recipe compensates for the possibility of lack of fat by suggesting the use of extra fat .
However, if your mince has enough fat, reduce or eliminate the extra fat. In fact, you may get your extra fat from the trimmings of the caul fat.
Why do I need Liver?
The liver gives an extra flavour dimension to the crépinette. Some traditional recipes suggest the use of much more liver that I have recommended. But I believe too much liver will overpower the pork flavour. I suggest that you use chicken liver, but you can also use pork liver if you can access it. It is a s good.
The crépinettes can be eaten as is, or in a sauce of your choice with rice. You can serve it with a tomato sauce or thin gravy, or you can even cook it in a daube.
Here is the recipe for crépinette- Krepinet
These pork crépinettes- krepinet- are small patties that are moist and full of flavour with a relatively coarse texture. A dish that was once widely prepared on the islands and is now almost forgotten.
- 500 g Pork mince
- 2 sheets caul fat, allow for wastage through trimmings
- 200 g chicken liver- roughly chopped
- 60 g pork fat, lard or trimmings from the caul fat ( note1)
- 1 onion finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, needles stripped and chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 sprig thyme, small leaves stripped
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 2 eggs
- 25 g plain flour
- salt and cracked pepper
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Rinse the caul fat in cold water and then transfer in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes. The warm water minimises the tearing of the caul fat when wrapping.
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Remove from the bowl pat dry with a cloth or absorbent paper. Lay it flat over a cutting board and trim all excess fat. Keep the trimmings because you may require to use it as extra fat if your mince is too lean.
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Wash and pat dry the liver and roughly chop and keep.
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If you are going to add extra fat, bring your fat (caul fat trimmings or lard) to room temperature and chop it as finely as you can, and keep.
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Bring your mince to room temperature and place it in a large bowl. ( note 2)
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Thoroughly mix all ingredients with the mince pork using your hand.
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Oil your hands and scoop a spoonful of the filling and place it in the palm of your hand and roll it into small balls of approximately 3.5cm in diameter, 50-60 grams.
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Place each ball on the caul fat, evenly spaced apart and then cut a square of approximately 9cm around each.
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Fold the caul fat over each ball and gentle flatten slightly into a small pattie or burger shape creating a crépinette. You need it to wrap completely around the patty. It is better to have too much caul fat than too little.
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Set each completed crépinette on a cookie sheet, seam side down. Refrigerate until required.
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Heat enough oil in a frying pan over medium heat. The oil has to reach about ½ way up your crépinette.
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Add the crépinettes seam-side down and shallow fry for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until golden brown or until no longer pink in the centre. Turn them over every two odd minutes. Do not be tempted to rush this. Crépinettes are best cooked at a leisurely pace.
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Once cooked place them on an absorbent paper.
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The crépinettes can be eaten as is, or in a sauce of your choice with rice. You can serve it with a tomato sauce or thin gravy, or you can even cook them in a daube.
- This recipe compensates for the possibility of lack of fat in your mince by suggesting the use of extra fat like lard. If you buy fresh caul fat, you may get enough fat from the trimmings that you can use to mix into the mince. If your mince has enough fat, reduce or eliminate the extra fat.
- Bringing your mince to room temperature will allow your fat to better incorporate in the mix.
- You can also cook your patties in an oven. Place then in a hot oven, approx. 200°C and cook for about 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 180°C and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, you will notice that the caul fat would have rendered away almost completely leaving golden moist patties.
- If your caul fat pieces are small, you can overlap them to completely cover the patties.
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.
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