Croustade de Ris de Veau à la Financière

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two rimmed trays and a 4-pound (1.8 kg) weight for pressing
• •10-inch (25 cm) lidded sauté pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve and chilled mixing bowl
• •Two demitasse spoons for shaping quenelles
• •2¾-inch (7 cm) round cutter
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge and blanch

   Cover the sweetbread with plenty of cold water and soak it for 1 hour, changing the water two or three times, until the water stays clear and the flesh looks pale. Put it in a saucepan, cover again with cold water, squeeze in the lemon, add the spent halves and 1 teaspoon of the salt, then bring the water slowly to a bare simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, never at a hard boil, and transfer the sweetbread to ice water. This blanching firms the delicate flesh so it can be trimmed without turning to paste.

   Ask for the plump heart sweetbread rather than the long throat sweetbread. Its compact shape gives the four broad, even slices this croustade requires.
2. 2

   Trim and press

   Drain the cooled sweetbread and peel away the thick outer membrane, loose fat, and visible tubes with a small knife. Work patiently and leave the fine membrane that clings tightly, since digging after it tears the lobe. Place the trimmed sweetbread between two trays, set a 4-pound (1.8 kg) weight on top, and press for 30 minutes in the cold. If a corner tears, keep it; the pressed irregular pieces can join the financière garnish when cocks' combs and cocks' kidneys aren't available.

3. 3

   Braise the sweetbread

   Season the pressed sweetbread with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a lidded sauté pan over medium heat and colour the sweetbread lightly on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Add the carrot, shallot, and celery; cook for 3 minutes without scorching them. Pour in ¼ cup (60 ml) Madeira and reduce it by half, then add 2 cups (475 ml) stock and the bouquet garni. Cover and hold at the faintest simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the centre reaches 160°F (71°C) and feels tender but resilient. Lift out the sweetbread, strain and reserve the braising liquid, and rest the lobe for 10 minutes. Cut four slices about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick and trim them into rounds matching the inner diameter of the croustades, about 2¾ inches (7 cm); reserve the trimmings.

4. 4

   Make tiny quenelles

   Mince the cold chicken repeatedly under a sharp knife until it becomes a paste, then press it through a fine sieve into a chilled bowl. At this scale, a full food processor loses more forcemeat around its blade than it mixes. Stir in a small pinch each of salt, white pepper, and nutmeg, then beat in the egg white followed by the cold cream until the mixture is smooth and slightly springy. Bring the remaining 1 cup (235 ml) stock to a bare tremble. Shape 8 hazelnut-size quenelles between two small spoons and poach them for 3 to 4 minutes, until firm and 165°F (74°C) at the centre. Use the four neatest in the croustades; the others cover the test piece and the inevitable first awkward spoonful.

   Poach one test quenelle first. If it feathers apart, chill the forcemeat for 10 minutes and beat it again over ice before shaping the rest.
5. 5

   Prepare financière solids

   Cut four shallow V-shaped grooves from the crown to the edge of each mushroom cap, rotating the mushroom between cuts. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan, add the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of reserved braising liquid, and a pinch of salt, then cover and cook gently for 4 minutes. Uncover and roll the mushrooms through the butter until the liquid has nearly vanished, keeping them pale. Add the sliced prepared cocks' combs and cocks' kidneys, or the measured sweetbread trimmings, and warm them through without frying. Set aside with four selected quenelles.

6. 6

   Reduce Madeira glaze

   Pour the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) Madeira into a small saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add the veal demi-glace and simmer gently until you have exactly ¼ cup (60 ml) of demi-glace au Madère, the Madeira half-glaze, with a nappant consistency that coats the back of a spoon. If it becomes sticky before reaching that measure, whisk in reserved braising liquid a teaspoon at a time. If it remains thin, reduce it a little longer. Ça se rattrape.

   Use a true prepared veal demi-glace with body and little added salt. Bouillon paste thickened with starch turns harsh as the Madeira reduces.
7. 7

   Dry and rewarm

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set the Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) on a baking sheet and warm them for 6 to 8 minutes, until their interiors feel dry and crisp but remain pale. This low oven replaces the drying-box; no broiler is needed because colour on the pastry is not the aim. Meanwhile, warm the sweetbread rounds in a shallow pool of their strained braising liquid over very gentle heat, then drain them thoroughly. Rewarm the financière solids and the demi-glace au Madère separately.

8. 8

   Assemble at once

   Combine one quenelle, one grooved mushroom, and one-fourth of the sliced offal garnish for each serving, making four level tablespoon portions. Coat each portion with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) demi-glace au Madère and spoon it into a hot croustade. Set a drained sweetbread round squarely on each garnish and lay one fine truffle slice on top. Arrange the four croustades on a warm platter lined with a folded white napkin and serve immediately, before the sauce has time to soften the pastry. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order veal sweetbreads several days before cooking and ask for the heart sweetbread. They often arrive with blood and membrane still attached, which is normal; soaking, blanching, and pressing are the dish, not dispensable fuss.
• •Prepared cocks' combs and cocks' kidneys require a specialist poultry butcher. When they cannot be obtained, use pressed sweetbread trimmings in the same measured amount. The texture isn't identical, and it would be dishonest to say otherwise, but the tender offal note remains.
• •The tiny forcemeat quantity gives enough for a test quenelle and several spares. Poach them all, choose the four neatest for the croustades, and chill or freeze the remainder in a little stock.
• •Serve one croustade per person with a dry white Burgundy or a restrained mature red. This is a rich course, so it wants a simple green vegetable or lightly dressed leaves beside it, not another cream sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Croûtes et Croustades (No. 2393) up to one day ahead. Cool them completely and keep them airtight at room temperature, then dry them in the low oven immediately before filling.
• •The sweetbread can be soaked, blanched, pressed, and braised one day ahead. Chill it in a little strained braising liquid, slice it while cold for the neatest rounds, and reheat very gently before assembly.
• •The quenelles and demi-glace au Madère can be finished earlier the same day. Keep them chilled separately and rewarm gently; never fill the croustades until everyone is ready to sit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)