Chef Juliette
Selle de Veau (Relevé)
A half saddle of veal, bacon-barded and braised by short moistening, emerges bronze and succulent, with the concentrated veal glaze that makes this grand relevé worthy of the home table.
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Ris de Veau Grillés Carmago
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1231, Ris de Veau Grillés Carmago, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Ris de Veau Grillés Carmago turns tender sweetbreads, butter-glazed vegetables, savoury brioche and crisp bacon into one generous centrepiece, with every element timed so the shell reaches the table crisp.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
2 hr 45 min
Active Time
1 hr cook•3 hr 45 min total
Yield4 servings
Ris de Veau Grillés Carmago (grilled veal sweetbreads in a savoury brioche case) teaches the architecture of a composed dish. Rich, tender sweetbreads sit above two butter-glazed vegetables, while the hollow brioche catches their juices without collapsing. The one true thing to know before touching a pan is this: assembly cannot wait. The case must be dry, and every filling ready, before anything goes inside.
The original formula assumed a brigade, with a pâtissier baking unsweetened brioche, an entremetier holding two garnitures separately, and a salamander free when the sweetbreads and bacon needed grilling. A home kitchen has the finished Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393), two saucepans, and an oven broiler. It needs neither a saucier's mother sauce nor a stockpot kept always hot, so don't invent either. Its foundation is careful blanching, butter-glazed vegetables, and a crisp brioche case. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The brigade's separate hands and holding pans are scaffolding. The blanching and pressing, equal measures of petits pois à la française (peas cooked with lettuce and onions) and carottes à la Vichy (carrots reduced in buttered water), the hollow brioche, and the bacon cap are the dish and stay. Fill the case only at the last moment. If either vegetable garnish seems wet, reduce its liquor before it touches the bread, ça se rattrape. That final restraint carries the brioche to the table crisp.
Ris de Veau Grillés Carmago belongs to the Parisian grande cuisine table, where prized organ meats and familiar vegetable garnitures were assembled as generous edible centrepieces. Its title can invite a Camargue reading, but the composition makes no Provençal claim: petits pois à la française, carottes à la Vichy, butter-rich brioche, and bacon form a grand-kitchen construction rather than a southern regional dish. Its practical logic travels neatly to the home table, since the crisp case gathers several preparations into one dish meant to be carved and shared.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
veal heart sweetbreads
Quantity
4, about 2 lb (900 g) total
rinsed
cold water
Quantity
8 quarts (7.6 L / 7.6 kg), plus more if needed
divided for soaking and blanching
unsweetened fluted brioche case
Quantity
1 finished 8-inch (20 cm) case, about 1 lb (450 g), from Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393)
completely cooled
fine fresh breadcrumbs
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 70 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
7 tablespoons (105 ml / 100 g)
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g)
divided
freshly ground white or black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g)
shelled petits pois
Quantity
1½ cups (355 ml / 220 g)
small pearl onions
Quantity
8, about 4 oz (115 g)
peeled
butter lettuce
Quantity
2 loosely packed cups (475 ml / 55 g)
finely shredded
carrots
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / 260 g)
cut into ⅛-inch (3 mm) rounds
water for the vegetable garnitures
Quantity
1½ cups (355 ml / 355 g)
divided
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 8 g)
divided
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g)
finely chopped
dry-cured streaky bacon
Quantity
6 slices, about 6 oz (170 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| veal heart sweetbreadsrinsed | 4, about 2 lb (900 g) total |
| cold waterdivided for soaking and blanching | 8 quarts (7.6 L / 7.6 kg), plus more if needed |
| unsweetened fluted brioche casecompletely cooled | 1 finished 8-inch (20 cm) case, about 1 lb (450 g), from Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) |
| fine fresh breadcrumbs | 1 cup (240 ml / 70 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 7 tablespoons (105 ml / 100 g) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) |
| freshly ground white or black pepper | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g) |
| shelled petits pois | 1½ cups (355 ml / 220 g) |
| small pearl onionspeeled | 8, about 4 oz (115 g) |
| butter lettucefinely shredded | 2 loosely packed cups (475 ml / 55 g) |
| carrotscut into ⅛-inch (3 mm) rounds | 2 cups (475 ml / 260 g) |
| water for the vegetable garnituresdivided | 1½ cups (355 ml / 355 g) |
| granulated sugardivided | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 8 g) |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 8 g) |
| dry-cured streaky bacon | 6 slices, about 6 oz (170 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Two rimmed sheet pans and a 2 to 3 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg) weight
- •Large saucepan for blanching
- •Two medium saucepans
- •Wire rack and broiler-safe sheet pan
- •Serrated bread knife
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Warmed oval serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Soak the sweetbreads
Place the sweetbreads in a nonreactive bowl and cover them generously with cold water. Refrigerate for 2 hours, changing the water several times, until the water stays clear and the lobes look pale. Keep them cold throughout; soaking draws out blood and gives the finished sweetbreads their clean colour and delicate flavour.
Ask for heart sweetbreads, the rounder thymus lobes. They press into neat portions and hold together better on the grill than the looser throat sweetbreads. - 2
Blanch, trim, and press
Bring 2 quarts (1.9 L) of fresh water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a bare simmer. Lower in the drained sweetbreads, let the water return gently to a simmer, and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water just until comfortable to handle, then pull away the thick outer membrane, sinew, and obvious fat without digging into the tender lobes. Arrange them between two rimmed sheet pans, weight the upper pan with 2 to 3 lb (900 g to 1.4 kg), and refrigerate for 45 to 60 minutes. If a lobe separates while trimming, fit the pieces together before pressing; the weight will restore a compact shape, and the breadcrumb coat will secure it. Ça se rattrape.
- 3
Dry the brioche case
Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set the finished Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393), made here as an unsweetened fluted brioche case, on a sheet pan. With a serrated knife, remove the top by following the fluting, then pull out the crumb while leaving walls and a base about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Reserve a little crumb for repairs and dry the empty case in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until its inner surface feels crisp but the outside remains butter-gold. If you nick the wall, fit a shard of reserved crumb into the opening and dry it in place. Keep the case uncovered in a dry spot.
- 4
Cook the petits pois
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the pearl onions, lettuce, petits pois, ½ cup (120 ml) of the measured vegetable water, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook gently until the onions and peas are tender, 12 to 15 minutes for fresh peas or 6 to 8 minutes for frozen. Uncover and reduce the cooking liquor until it forms a shiny butter glaze with no puddle beneath the vegetables. If the peas become tender while the pan is still watery, lift them out with a slotted spoon, reduce the liquor alone, then return them. Ça se rattrape.
- 5
Glaze carottes à la Vichy
Put the carrots in a wide saucepan with the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable water, 2 tablespoons of the butter, the remaining teaspoon of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, turning the carrots occasionally, until they are tender and the water has reduced to a glossy butter coating, about 15 minutes. If the pan dries before the carrots yield to a knife, add water 2 tablespoons at a time; patience, not higher heat. Fold in the parsley and hold the carrots warm.
- 6
Grill the bacon
Heat the broiler to high with a rack about 6 inches (15 cm) from the element. Lay the bacon on a wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan and grill it for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until the fat has rendered and the edges are crisp while the centres remain flexible enough to drape over the sweetbreads. If dark spots appear before the fat renders, lower the oven rack and continue more gently. Transfer the bacon to a warm plate.
- 7
Grill the sweetbreads
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter gently, skim off the foam, and pour the clear butter away from the milky sediment. Pat the pressed sweetbreads completely dry, season them with the remaining salt and pepper, brush them generously with the clarified butter, and press them into the breadcrumbs. Arrange them on a clean wire rack over a sheet pan and grill under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes per side, brushing with more butter when turned, until the coating is deeply golden and the centres reach 160°F (71°C). If the crumbs brown before the centres are ready, move the sweetbreads into a 350°F (175°C) oven to finish without further colouring. Ça se rattrape. Rest them for 3 minutes.
- 8
Measure the garnish
Tilt each vegetable pan and leave behind any loose cooking liquor. Measure equal volumes of petits pois à la française and carottes à la Vichy, about 1½ cups (355 ml) of each, into a warm bowl and fold them together only enough to distribute the colours. Taste for salt. The vegetables should glisten with butter but must not run, because free liquid turns the brioche soft before it reaches the table.
- 9
Build the croustade
Warm the empty brioche case in the oven for 3 minutes, then set it on a folded clean white napkin on a warmed oval platter. Fill it two-thirds full with the equal pea and carrot garnish. Arrange the four grilled sweetbreads snugly over the vegetables and cover them with the grilled bacon slices. Carry the platter directly to the table and carve through the crisp brioche so each serving receives case, vegetables, sweetbread, and bacon. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Order veal heart sweetbreads from a butcher in advance. They should smell clean, look creamy white with a faint pink cast, and feel moist without being slippery.
- •The brioche must be savoury and sturdy, not the sweet, feathery breakfast loaf sold in slices. Prepare the unsweetened fluted case from Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) ahead, then hollow and dry it on the day of service.
- •Frozen petits pois are the honest choice when fresh peas are not sweet and newly shelled. They were preserved at their peak and need only a shorter cooking time.
- •Use dry-cured bacon that releases fat rather than water. Watery bacon refuses to brown and leaves the brioche damp.
- •Pour a full-bodied dry white Burgundy or another restrained Chardonnay. Its acidity handles the butter and bacon, while its roundness suits the sweetbreads and brioche.
Advance Preparation
- •The unsweetened brioche case can be baked one day ahead. Keep it whole and well wrapped, then hollow and dry it shortly before the meal.
- •The sweetbreads can be soaked, blanched, trimmed, and pressed one day ahead. Refrigerate them covered, then dry, season, crumb, and grill them just before assembly.
- •The petits pois à la française and carottes à la Vichy can be cooked up to 2 hours ahead and held separately. Reheat each gently, adding a teaspoon of water if its butter glaze has tightened.
- •Do not fill the brioche in advance. Once the vegetables enter the case, the clock begins, and this dish rewards immediate service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 520g)
Calories
1060 calories
Total Fat
57 g
Saturated Fat
29 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
25 g
Cholesterol
850 mg
Sodium
2700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
82 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
13 g
Protein
53 g
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