HeaAndrews

We were strolling along the Rue de Saint Louis and were searching for a place to eat lunch on a recent trip. I was very weary of eating at places that looked like they had too many tourists in them, but when we stopped at a little restaurant called Le Relais de la Isle it looked perfect and, luckily, they had one table for two left. We are not French speakers, but knew enough phrases to get the menu given to us in French which, while in Paris, always felt like that was a tiny victory. I would also often play a game where I would order something that I had know idea what it was and have fun with the surprise meal. So that is what I did at Le Relais. One of their plats was a dish that started with a B (Ballentine, Balantine???). I hadn't the slightest clue what it was so of course I ordered and what came out what this delicious layered meat ball a bit bigger than my female fist, in a very reduced wine and vegetable sauce. I wrote down the name of the cafe, but never noted the exact spelling of the dish thinking "I can google it when I get home". So after many unsuccessful internet searches, I am still wondering what I ate that was so good!!! Any ideas?? Also come to find out that our "great little find" of a cafe is the #4 rated restaurant in Paris on Trip Advisor!! I can't believe our luck!

HeaAndrews

My apologies, the restaurant is actually Le Relais de l'Isle. Please excuse my poor French.

Pvoyageuse

It was probably a ballotine :
"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 clingfilm and 'hammered' with a variety of stuffings."

http://www.impromptugourmet.com/grap...ular/56198.jpg

Christina

I figured as much, you can't even pronounce it the other way very well.

It's probably a ballotine.

annhig

also often made with duck.

Echnaton

Search for "ballotine" pictures with Google and see what it displays. OMG, I am getting hungry...

StCirq

Actually, I'm guessing it was a galantine, which can also be prepared using a variety of meats. I think galantine is a lot more commonly found on menus than baallotine.

Gretchen

From a google search, they seem almost interchangeable, even to very knowledgeable folk.

If all the definitions I found, both actual and implied, are averaged, the result would be something in the order of a galantine being a dish made from boned poultry or meat that is stuffed with a forcemeat, pressed into a cylindrical shape, and poached in an aspic-producing stock. The galantine is served cold, coated with the aspic. Many of the recipes for ballotines I found would also fit this definition. Others use all the meat from the animal being boned in the forcemeat so the outer wrapping is nothing more than the skin or just a sheet of barding fat. Also, some ballotines are served hot or braised rather than poached.

I think it implied that gallantines are most often served cold in an aspic.

Gretchen

HOWEVER, the learning here would be to take a food glossary to France with you. Even if you had a dictionary, many menu items just don't "translate", and a glossary similar to Patricia Wells's is a real delight to have to enjoy ordering.

Pvoyageuse

Galantine is always served cold as a starter, not a main dish.