Ris de Veau Bonne Maman

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 to 4-quart shallow round cocotte with lid
• •Rimmed tray, parchment, small board, and a 2-pound weight
• •Small saucepan for warming stock
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small broiler-safe tray

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the sweetbreads

   Put the sweetbreads in a bowl and cover them generously with very cold water. Soak for 30 to 45 minutes, changing the water twice, until the water remains nearly clear. This draws away blood that would otherwise cloud the braising liquor and leaves the flavor clean. Keep the bowl cold throughout.

2. 2

   Blanch, trim, and press

   Place the drained sweetbreads in the cocotte, cover them with fresh cold water by about 1 inch, and add 2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, then cook for 5 minutes without boiling hard. Lift them directly into ice water. When cool enough to handle, peel away the loose outer membrane and remove obvious tubes and hard fat, keeping each lobe as whole as possible. If a surface tears, press the loose piece back into place rather than digging farther; the pressing and glaze will hold it. Set the lobes between parchment-lined trays, weight them with about 2 pounds, and press for 30 minutes. Dry thoroughly, then season with the remaining salt and white pepper.

   Trim what is tough and visible, no more. Over-trimming turns a handsome lobe into scraps, and no one at your table is awarding points for unnecessary surgery.
3. 3

   Cut the coarse julienne

   While the sweetbreads press, cut the carrots, onion, and celery julienne-fashion, into match-shaped rods about 1½ inches long and ⅛ inch thick. This is deliberately shorter and coarser than a fine garnish julienne, so the vegetables survive the braise as tender strands rather than dissolving. Weigh them if possible: the celery must equal the combined weight of the carrot and onion.

4. 4

   Soften without coloring

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and warm the veal stock in a separate small saucepan. Wipe the cocotte dry, melt the butter over low heat, and add the carrot, onion, and celery. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring from the bottom, until the vegetables soften and glisten without taking color. If a few strands begin to catch, pull the pot from the heat and stir in a spoonful of stock. Ça se rattrape. If anything has gone black, transfer the unburned vegetables to a bowl, wipe the cocotte clean, and begin again with a little fresh butter; black bitterness only grows stronger during reduction.

5. 5

   Reduce the stock twice

   Spread the vegetables evenly and settle the pressed sweetbreads over them with the bouquet garni tucked alongside. Follow the staged moistening of Braising of White Meats (No. 248): pour in ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the hot veal stock, cover until it reaches a gentle simmer, then set the lid slightly ajar and baste as the stock reduces to a syrupy glaze. Repeat with a second ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g). Keep the heat moderate and move the vegetables gently from the pot floor at every basting; this concentration builds the protective coating around the sweetbreads, but a scorched julienne ruins the liquor.

6. 6

   Braise at a tremble

   Add enough of the remaining 2 cups (480 ml / 480 g) hot stock to come halfway up the sweetbreads. Cover the cocotte and place it in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, basting every 8 minutes and keeping the liquid at the barest tremble. Begin checking early: the sweetbreads are ready when they feel springy, their juices show no pink, and the center reaches 160°F (71°C). The braiding needle of the classical kitchen becomes an instant-read thermometer at home. If the meat is ready before the liquor has body, lift it out at once and reduce the liquor separately; overcooking cannot be taken back.

7. 7

   Reduce and glaze

   Transfer the cooked sweetbreads to a small broiler-safe tray and discard the bouquet garni. Keep the julienne in the cocotte and reduce its liquor over moderate heat, stirring carefully along the bottom, until it lightly coats the back of a spoon and gleams without becoming sticky. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of hot stock or water. If it remains thin, let the sweetbreads wait loosely covered while the liquor reduces. Brush the lobes generously with the concentrated liquor, then place them under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, basting once more, until lacquered and lightly bronzed. The broiler is the honest home equivalent of the salamander; watch it without blinking.

8. 8

   Serve from the cocotte

   Return the glazed sweetbreads to the shallow cocotte and arrange the tender julienne and braising liquor all around them. Cover just long enough to carry the dish to the table, then set it on a heatproof trivet. The original folded napkin belonged to formal service; the trivet protects your table and leaves the food to speak for itself. Spoon the vegetables and glossy liquor over each portion. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order veal sweetbreads from a butcher and ask for plump heart sweetbreads when available. They are rounder, firmer, and easier to portion than the looser throat glands. They are highly perishable, so keep them very cold and begin soaking within 24 hours.
• •The stock is not background liquid here. It becomes the glaze. Use unsalted veal stock that sets softly when chilled; if it runs like water from the cold, reduce it before measuring the three cups. A good prepared veal demi-glace may be diluted to stock strength, but taste carefully because repeated reductions magnify salt.
• •Keep the cocotte snug. A broad pot exposes too much vegetable to dry heat and demands more stock before the sweetbreads are half covered. A shallow 3 to 4-quart cocotte gives the right depth for four portions.
• •Equal quantity means equal weight: 240 g carrot and onion together, matched by 240 g celery. Measuring the airy julienne only by cups can distort the ratio.
• •Serve with pommes purée or plain buttered noodles, something quiet that catches the liquor. A broad dry Chardonnay or a light cru Beaujolais has enough freshness to meet the richness without bullying the sweetbreads.

Advance Preparation

• •The sweetbreads may be soaked, blanched, trimmed, and pressed a day ahead. Wrap them closely, keep them at 40°F (4°C) or colder, and season only before braising.
• •The julienne can be cut up to 4 hours ahead and kept covered in the cold. Pat it dry before cooking so the butter softens it rather than boiling it in surface water.
• •The stock may be checked and reduced to the proper gelatinous strength a day ahead. Reheat it before beginning the braise so each addition returns to a simmer promptly.
• •The finished dish can wait, covered, for about 15 minutes. For a longer delay, hold the sweetbreads apart from the liquor and glaze them only just before serving; prolonged reheating makes them firm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)