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Stewed Sweetbreads
After blanching, separate the sweetbreads, put in a saucepan, and cover with boiling salted water; add a little paprika, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a dash of mace. Stew fifteen or twenty minutes, add a half cup of rich hot cream, and a teaspoonful of flour rubbed smooth with 2 teaspoonfuls of butter. Stir until the gravy is smooth and thick. Serve with points of crisp golden toast.
A short, plain sweetbread stew that assumes you have already done the fiddly part. The recipe opens mid-process, so the preparation before "after blanching" is worth spelling out.
- What blanching means hereSoak the sweetbreads in several changes of cold water for an hour or two until no longer pink, then simmer 15 minutes in acidulated salted water, drain, and plunge into ice water. Once firm, peel away the membrane and any fat or gristle. "Separate the sweetbreads" most likely means dividing the pair into their natural lobes before stewing.
- Which sweetbread to buyVeal sweetbreads are the thymus (the elongated "throat" bread) and the pancreas (the rounder "heart" bread). Either works. Order ahead from a butcher — they are rarely on display.
- Freshness matters more than usualOffal spoils fast. Use sweetbreads within a day of purchase, and start the cold-water soak as soon as you get them home.
- Keep it at a bare simmerFifteen to twenty minutes at a true boil will shred the lobes. Hold the liquid just below a simmer so the pieces stay intact and creamy inside.
- MaceGround mace is the outer covering of nutmeg — warmer and less sharp. A "dash" is about 1/8 teaspoon. Nutmeg will stand in, used sparingly.
- The thickeningA teaspoon of flour rubbed into 2 teaspoons of butter is a beurre manié. Whisk it in off the boil in small pieces, then return to a gentle simmer for two or three minutes so the flour loses its raw taste.
- Rich hot creamHeavy cream, warmed. Adding it cold to hot cooking liquid drops the temperature and can make the sauce sit flat. There is no need for the liquid to be reduced first, but if it tastes thin, pour off some before adding cream.
- Yield and servingOne pair of sweetbreads (about 1 lb) serves two as a main course or four as a first course. "Points of toast" are slices crusted, then cut corner to corner into triangles, arranged around the edge of the dish.