No. 1701

Lamb Kidneys, Flemish Style

Rognons d'Agneau a la Flamande

Fry colorless in butter one tablespoonful of chopped onions, one small chopped shallot, one whole clove of garlic, half a pound of fresh cut up mushrooms, salt, pepper, and cayenne; moisten with a gill of Madeira wine adding a little melted meat glaze (No. 402), some cream and a small piece of kneaded butter (No. 579); when ready remove the garlic. Skin eight lambs' kidneys, split each one lengthwise in two and fry them in butter; season as soon as they evaporate their moisture and are cooked; dress and pour the above sauce over.

← No. 1700 Brochettes of Lamb Kidneys Lamb No. 1702 Lamb Kidneys, Glazed →

For the Modern Kitchen

A short sauté with a pan sauce, and the whole thing hinges on not overcooking the kidneys. Ranhofer assumes you have his numbered preparations on hand; the substitutions below are straightforward.

A gillHalf a cup, so 4 fl oz of Madeira. Use a dry or medium-dry Madeira (Sercial or Verdelho) rather than a sweet Malmsey, and let it reduce by about half before the cream goes in.
Meat glaze (No. 402)Glace de viande: brown stock reduced to a syrupy, gelatinous paste. A teaspoon or two of commercial demi-glace concentrate does the same job, or reduce a cup of good brown veal or beef stock to a couple of tablespoons.
Kneaded butter (No. 579)Beurre manié, equal weights of soft butter and flour worked together. A piece the size of a hazelnut will thicken this quantity of sauce; whisk it in off the heat in small bits so it does not lump.
The cream is unmeasuredThe original gives no quantity. Two to four tablespoons of heavy cream is enough to round out the reduced Madeira without turning the sauce pale and heavy.
Cook the mushrooms dryHalf a pound of mushrooms throws a surprising amount of liquid. Keep the pan hot and let it all evaporate before the wine goes in, or the finished sauce will be thin and washed out.
Kidney prepPeel off the thin membrane, split lengthwise, and cut out the white core and any fat at the hinge. A brief soak in cold water or milk mutes the ammoniac edge, though very fresh lamb kidneys need little.
Timing is the hingeKidneys want a hot pan and roughly 2 minutes a side, until browned outside and rosy within. Ranhofer's cue is the moment they stop weeping moisture; past that they tighten into rubber. Season at that point, as the recipe directs.
"Fry colorless"Sweat the onion and shallot in butter over moderate heat without letting them take on any color, which is what keeps the sauce clean-tasting rather than sweet and browned.
YieldEight kidneys serve four as a first course or a light lunch, two or three as a main. Serve on toast, or with rice or boiled potatoes to catch the sauce.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer, chef at Delmonico's in New York, published The Epicurean in 1894 as a complete record of the French repertoire as it was cooked in an American luxury restaurant. "A la flamande" in French cookery is a loose label, usually pointing to Flemish habits of beer, root vegetables, or the sort of butter-and-onion base seen here rather than to any single fixed formula. Organ meats occupied a respectable place on nineteenth-century restaurant menus, and lamb kidneys in particular were a standard breakfast and luncheon dish in both English and French service; the Madeira, cream and meat glaze here are what lift a cheap cut to Delmonico's prices.