meatballs:

Add the bread to a small bowl. Cover with milk or cream and allow to soak until saturated. Gently squeeze the moisture from the bread, adding the bread to a large bowl and reserving the liquid.

Measure out 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid, discarding any remaining. If there is not 1/4 cup, add a little cream to bring the measurement up to 1/4 cup. Add to the bowl with the bread.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add to the bowl with the bread and milk/cream. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and set aside.

To bowl, add egg yolk, salt, white pepper, and allspice. Mix until everything is fully incorporated. Add in the ground beef & pork. Mix gently with hands.

With a bowl of cold water standing by, form meatballs about 1-inch across. Dip fingers in cold water from time to time, to keep the meat from sticking to hands.

Melt the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium high heat. Add meatballs, working in batches if needed. Note: Do not overcrowd. Brown, turning often, until cooked through. If working in batches, use only part of the butter for each batch; pan may need to be wiped out between batches. Save drippings and don’t clean the pan from the final batch.

Notes:

• For forming the meatballs, a small 1 1/2″ scoop works very well. When formed the meatballs will be slightly over an inch.
• Refrigerating the meatball mixture before forming makes it easier to work with and refrigerating meatballs before cooking helps them to keep a round shape and hold together better.

sauce:

Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat (add a little butter if needed). Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to dissolve the flour into the fat.

Slowly pour in the stock and stir to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer, stirring now and then, for several minutes until the liquid is reduced and the mixture starts to thicken to a sauce consistency.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Lower the heat and stir in the cream. Add the black currant jam to taste. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

may be made partially ahead:

Meatball mixture may be made the night before and refrigerated overnight.

Meatballs may be made and cooked a day or two ahead. Add a little water to the grease and drippings in the skillet, pour into a cup, and refrigerate. When ready to make the sauce, remove the fat (use two tablespoons of it for the sauce) and set aside the drippings to add in with the stock. The drippings may worked through a small strainer for an absolutely smooth sauce. Warm the meatballs through in the simmering sauce.

nutrition:

Based on 6 servings using Ground Beef (without noodles): calories 340, tot fat 18g; sat fat 9g; chol 127mg; sod 783mg; pot 199mg; tot carb 19g; fiber 1g; sug 4g; prot 25g; vit a 12%; vit c 8%; calc 5%; iron 19%