Important: Safety Warning
This recipe calls for animal brains or related nervous-system tissue. Cattle brain and spinal tissue can transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which is fatal and has no treatment.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Brains
Hath a calf, which is the emblem of stupidity, brains? It is one of the glories of cookery that it recognises good in everything-good even in a calf's organ of intelligence. It is only the cerebral matter of calves that is deemed worthy of being shaped into lordly dishes. They are first picked clean, then cooled for at least an hour. Brandade They are then either to be boiled or fried. If boiled (this is the favourite way), they are to be simmered for thirty minutes in water with salt and vinegar, then drained, and they are to be served with Maître d'Hôtel sauce, with black butter, or with Montpellier butter. If fried, they are to be first parboiled for ten minutes in water, salt and vinegar, and they are to be served with Ravigote butter.