Timbale de Ris de Veau

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7-inch (18 cm) round timbale or Charlotte mould, about 4 inches (10 cm) deep
• •Food processor with chilled bowl and blade
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Two teaspoons for shaping Mousselines
• •Parchment paper and dried-pulse baking weights
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Warm serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the sweetbreads

   Dissolve the soaking salt in the cold water and submerge the sweetbreads for 2 hours, changing the water once if it becomes cloudy. Transfer them to fresh cold water, bring it slowly just below a boil, and hold there for 5 minutes. Drain, cool under cold running water, then pull away the loose membrane, blood vessels, and fatty threads without breaking the lobes apart. Place between two trays with a 2 lb weight on top and press for 20 minutes; this firms them so the collops slice neatly rather than crumbling.

   Work while the sweetbreads are cool but not icy. The membrane releases more readily, and small surface tears will disappear once the lobes are pressed and braised.
2. 2

   Make the mousseline

   Chill the processor bowl and blade, then pulse the chicken with the mousseline salt and white pepper until fine. Add the cold egg white and process until the paste gathers against the blade. With the machine running, add the cold cream gradually, stopping as soon as the mixture becomes smooth, glossy, and thick enough to hold a spoon mark. Poach a teaspoon in barely trembling water to test it. If it spreads or feels grainy, stop and chill the mixture for 15 minutes, then pulse in a spoonful of cold cream. Ça se rattrape. Reserve one-quarter for lining the crust and keep everything covered in the cold.

   Cold is the structure here. If the chicken or cream warms, the fat separates and the Mousselines turn coarse.
3. 3

   Braise without colour

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Melt the braising butter in a snug ovenproof pan and soften the shallot and carrot over low heat without letting them colour. Lay in the pressed sweetbreads, add the bouquet garni, and pour in enough stock to come two-thirds of the way up the lobes. Cover with a parchment circle and a lid, then braise for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the centres reach 160°F (71°C) and feel firm but springy. If the vegetables begin browning, lower the heat and add the stock at once; the braise must stay pale. Rest the sweetbreads in their liquor for 10 minutes, strain and reserve the liquor, then cut the lobes across into ½-inch collops.

4. 4

   Capture the mushroom essence

   Put the mushrooms in a saucepan with their butter, the measured water, half the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook gently for 8 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until the mushrooms are tender but still plump. Drain them over a bowl and reserve every drop of their liquor. Simmer that liquor uncovered until reduced to about ⅓ cup (80 ml); this is the mushroom essence that gives the Allemande its proper depth. Keep the mushrooms covered.

5. 5

   Decorate the mould

   Raise the oven to 375°F (190°C). Knead the decoration flour, egg yolk, and cold water into a stiff noodle paste, adding only a few extra drops of water if it refuses to bind. Rest it for 20 minutes, then roll it paper-thin and cut a modest arrangement of lozenges and small discs with a knife and a plain piping tip. Butter the 7-inch timbale mould and arrange one simple band of shapes against its sides. Moisten their exposed surfaces with the lightest film of water so they cling to the pastry lining. More ornament is not more beautiful here.

6. 6

   Bake and seal

   Set the short-paste skullcap prepared as for Pâté Chaud de Ris de Veau (No. 1241) into the decorated mould, pressing it evenly against the base and sides without making folds. Prick the base, line the shell with buttered parchment, and fill it three-quarters full with the split peas or lentils. Cover the weights with a paper circle, seal on the prepared pastry lid, pinch the rim inside and out, and apply no more than three small pastry leaves to the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the shell is firm and deep butter-gold. Follow the lid seam with a thin knife and lift the lid intact, then remove the weights and paper. Brush the interior with beaten egg white and return it to the oven for 3 minutes. Unmould carefully, spread the reserved mousseline over the interior in a coat no thicker than 1/16 inch, and bake for 4 to 5 minutes more, just until the coating sets without colouring. If a hairline crack appears, press mousseline into it before this final setting. Ça se rattrape.

   The egg white and mousseline are moisture barriers. Keep both coats thin, because their job is to protect the crust, not make another layer of filling.
7. 7

   Poach the Mousselines

   Bring the poaching water and salt to 175°F to 180°F (80°C to 82°C), with only a gentle movement at the surface. Using two teaspoons dipped in water, shape the remaining chicken mousseline into 12 small ovals and lower them in as they are formed. Poach for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until they feel springy and reach 165°F (74°C) in the centre. Lift them onto a cloth to drain. If the first loses its shape, chill the mixture again before forming the rest; boiling harder will only make it rough and rubbery.

8. 8

   Finish the Allemande

   Melt the roux butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes over low heat without allowing it to colour. Combine the strained sweetbread braising liquor with enough remaining stock to make 2½ cups (600 ml), then whisk it gradually into the roux. Add the mushroom essence and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, skimming as needed, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. If it is thin, reduce it now, because it must not boil after the liaison. Whisk the egg yolks with all but the reserved tablespoon of cream, temper them with two ladlefuls of hot sauce, then return the mixture to the pan. Stir over the gentlest heat until it reaches 160°F to 165°F (71°C to 74°C), with no bubbling. Strain, then finish with the remaining lemon juice, any reserved truffle liquor, and the cold butter. If fine grains appear, transfer the sauce immediately to a cold bowl, whisk in the reserved cold cream, blend briefly, and strain again. Ça se rattrape while the grains are still small.

9. 9

   Warm the garnish

   Put the sweetbread collops, mushrooms, drained cocks' combs, and Mousselines in a wide saucepan. Spoon over enough Allemande to coat everything generously without drowning it, then warm over very low heat, folding carefully so the sweetbread remains in whole slices. Add half the truffle slices. Keep the sauce below a simmer; if it tightens while waiting, loosen it with hot reserved stock one spoonful at a time.

10. 10

    Fill at the table

    If necessary, warm the sealed pastry shell for 5 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven, then place it on a warmed platter over a folded white napkin. Pour in the hot garnish only when everyone is ready, arrange the reserved truffle slices in a crown, and replace the pastry lid. Carry the timbale whole to the table and cut it into four generous sections, spooning the filling and extra Allemande beside each one. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order pale, plump veal heart sweetbreads from a butcher. Neck sweetbreads are more irregular and harder to turn into clean collops, though they will still taste splendid.
• •The source permits the secondary garnish to change but insists that sweetbread remain the principal ingredient. Ready-cleaned cocks' combs preserve the original texture; if they cannot be found, use extra mushroom caps and four additional Mousselines in place of the combs and rooster kidneys.
• •Preserved whole black truffle is the honest pantry answer outside truffle season. Keep its liquor for the Allemande, and slice the truffle thinly enough that every portion receives some.
• •Use one band of lozenges or discs on the shell. Elaborate cutters and a dome covered in leaves are brigade decoration; an evenly baked case with a crisp wall matters far more.
• •Pour a full, dry white Burgundy. Its body suits the sweetbreads and cream, while enough acidity keeps the Allemande from tiring the palate.

Advance Preparation

• •For a same-evening service, begin soaking the sweetbreads about four hours before dinner. Use the soaking time to make the mousseline, decoration, and pastry shell.
• •The sweetbreads may be braised one day ahead and chilled in their strained liquor. Slice and warm them gently at service so their edges remain neat.
• •Bake and seal the timbale shell up to 6 hours ahead. Keep it uncovered in a dry place, then warm it briefly before filling.
• •The Allemande may be prepared through the reduced velouté stage up to 4 hours ahead. Reheat that base gently and add the egg-yolk liaison shortly before serving.
• •Do not store the timbale assembled. Once the sauce enters the shell, the crust begins to soften, and no amount of oven heat will return its first crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 700g)