Sweetbreads
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the sweetbreads in cold water for 3 hours, changing the water if it discolors.
Boil the sweetbreads for 30 minutes until firm but not hard.
Press the sweetbreads into shape between two boards or baking tins with a weight on top.
Lard the sweetbreads with bacon cut into ⅛ inch sections.
Braise
Place the sweetbreads in a clean stewpan with 3 cups of rich stock.
Season with salt.
When the stock thickens, add another ½ cup and baste frequently.
Serve
Arrange the sweetbreads on a dish and strain the gravy over them.
Serve with sorrel, green peas, or tomato sauce.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Sweetbreads
- Provide the main tender, delicate meat that forms the dish's texture.
- Bacon
- Lardoons add fat that keeps the lean sweetbreads moist and adds savory flavor.
- Rich stock
- Supplies liquid for braising and, as it reduces, a body-rich gravy.
The step that matters
Boiling the sweetbreads. Boil only until firm but not hard. Overcooking tightens the proteins and makes the sweetbreads tough and dry, while undercooking leaves them too soft to press and lard.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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