Ris de Veau Demidoff

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive bowl
• •Medium saucepan
• •Two small trays and a 2-pound (900 g) weight for pressing
• •Narrow paring knife or metal skewer
• •Channel knife
• •3 to 4-quart shallow cocotte
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the sweetbreads

   Put the sweetbreads in a large bowl and cover them generously with very cold water. Soak for 1 hour, changing the water twice, until the water stays nearly clear and the flesh looks pale. This purging removes blood that would otherwise cloud the braising liquor and give the sweetbreads a grey cast.

   Keep the bowl in the refrigerator while the sweetbreads soak. They are delicate offal and should remain properly cold.
2. 2

   Blanch and press

   Transfer the sweetbreads to a saucepan, cover with fresh cold water, and bring slowly to a bare simmer. Hold them there for 5 minutes, never at a hard boil, then move them into cold water. While they are still slightly warm, pull away the loose membrane and any obvious cords without breaking the lobes apart. Set them between two parchment-lined trays, place about 2 pounds (900 g) of weight on top, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. Pressing gives the sweetbreads an even thickness, so they brown and finish at the same pace.

3. 3

   Cut the garnish

   While the sweetbreads press, run a channel knife lengthwise down the carrot and turnip to make shallow grooves, then halve them lengthwise and cut them crosswise into ¼-inch (6 mm) crescents. Cut the small onions crosswise into broad ⅜-inch (1 cm) roundels. Cut the celery paysanne-fashion, meaning thin triangles here, about ¾ inch (2 cm) across. Keep the shapes even because they must finish together, but do not fuss them into decorations; the grooves are there to catch the truffled liquor.

4. 4

   Lard the sweetbreads

   Chill the bacon and truffle batons until firm. Dry the pressed sweetbreads thoroughly, then use a narrow paring knife or metal skewer to make several lengthwise channels through each lobe. Tuck alternating bacon and truffle batons into the channels, pushing them just beneath the surface. Work gently and keep the lobes compact. If one splits, bind it once around the middle with kitchen twine; it will hold during the braise and the twine comes off before serving. Season with half the salt and pepper.

5. 5

   Brown and half-braise

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a shallow cocotte over medium heat. When the foam subsides, brown the sweetbreads on both broad sides, working in batches if necessary, until deeply golden but not scorched. Return them all to the cocotte, pour in 1½ cups (355 ml / 355 g) of the veal stock, and scrape the fond from the bottom. Bring the liquor only to a tremble, cover, and braise in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the sweetbreads while their centers are still distinctly underdone. This deliberate half-cook is the principle that decides the dish.

6. 6

   Stew the vegetables

   Transfer the sweetbreads to a plate and strain the braising liquor into a jug. Wipe the cocotte clean, return it to low heat, and add the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) butter. Add the carrot and turnip, cover, and stew gently for 4 minutes. Add the onion roundels and celery triangles, season with the remaining salt and pepper, then cover and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the vegetables carefully so their shapes remain clear. They should be glossy and barely tender without taking color. If the butter begins to brown, lower the heat and add a tablespoon of reserved stock.

7. 7

   Complete the braise

   Set the half-cooked sweetbreads in the center of the cocotte and arrange the butter-stewed vegetables around them. Add the strained braising liquor and the 1 ounce (28 g) minced truffle; the liquid should reach roughly halfway up the sweetbreads, so add some of the reserved stock if needed. Cover and return the cocotte to the oven for 12 to 18 minutes, until the liquor barely trembles and the thickest sweetbread reaches 160°F (71°C). If the liquid begins boiling hard, take the cocotte out, uncover it for 2 minutes, and lower the oven to 300°F (150°C) before continuing. Boiling tightens sweetbreads; gentle heat keeps them yielding.

8. 8

   Clear and serve

   Remove any twine, then tilt the cocotte and skim every visible bead of fat from the surface with a shallow spoon. If the liquor is thin, lift the sweetbreads and vegetables out briefly and reduce it for 2 to 4 minutes until glossy enough to coat a spoon. If it tightens too far, loosen it with reserved stock, one tablespoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. Return everything to the cocotte, spoon the truffled liquor over the sweetbreads, and serve directly from the vessel. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for veal heart sweetbreads, the rounded thymus lobes, rather than the longer throat sweetbreads. Heart sweetbreads press into neat portions and withstand the two-stage braise more evenly.
• •Use an actual black truffle. When fresh truffle is out of season, a whole preserved truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer; drain it well and blot it before cutting. Truffle oil cannot supply the little pockets of truffle the source requires.
• •Keep the original garnish ratio: 2 ounces (55 g) each of carrot, turnip, and onion, with a smaller supporting measure of celery. The separate cuts are not brigade decoration. They control cooking time and let each vegetable remain itself.
• •A structured white Burgundy or a mature red Burgundy suits the buttery sweetbreads and earthy truffle. Avoid a heavily oaked or aggressively tannic bottle, which makes the delicate meat taste metallic.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and use them within 2 days. Reheat gently in the covered cocotte until the sweetbreads reach 165°F (74°C), loosening the jus with a spoonful of stock if needed.

Advance Preparation

• •The sweetbreads can be purged, blanched, trimmed, and pressed up to 24 hours ahead. Wrap them closely and refrigerate, then lard them while thoroughly cold.
• •The carrot, turnip, onion, and celery can be cut up to 6 hours ahead. Keep them refrigerated in separate covered containers so the onion does not perfume the roots.
• •For a dinner party, complete the first half-braise up to 4 hours ahead. Chill the sweetbreads and strained liquor promptly in separate shallow containers, then stew the vegetables and complete the final braise shortly before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)