Jambon de Prague à la Norfolk

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •2-quart (2 L) saucepan
• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with lid
• •Two rimmed trays and a 2 lb (900 g) weight
• •Parchment paper
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Long serrated carving knife
• •1-cup (240 ml) sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Coordinate the finished ham

   Treat Jambon à la Prague sous la Cendre (No. 1419) as the separate finished preparation the source requires; its preparation time is not included here. Arrange for the joint to finish and rest as the braising liquor reaches its final gloss. Warm four dinner plates and a small sauceboat now. This is composed service, and good pastry should not wait while you search for crockery.

   Read the linked ham preparation before beginning. Work backward from its oven time so the ham, sweetbread, peas, and sauce meet on warm plates together.
2. 2

   Soak and blanch

   Rinse the sweetbreads under cold running water, then soak them in half the ice-cold water for 25 minutes. Drain, cover with the remaining ice-cold water, and soak for another 20 minutes; this draws away blood and keeps their finished colour pale. Transfer them to a saucepan, cover generously with fresh cold water, and add the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring slowly to a bare simmer and hold for 4 minutes. Drain at once and lower them into fresh ice water until cool enough to handle.

3. 3

   Trim and press

   While the sweetbreads are still slightly warm, peel away the loose outer membrane, visible veins, and tough connective knobs with your fingertips and the point of a small knife. Trim conservatively; the lobes need structure. Place them between two parchment-lined trays, set a 2 lb (900 g) weight on top, and press for 20 minutes, until each lobe is evenly flattened but not crushed. If one tears, press the pieces snugly together and handle them as a single portion. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Begin peas à la paysanne

   While the sweetbreads press, put the bacon in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and render it slowly until the fat is clear and the edges turn lightly bronze. Add the pearl onions and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the onions soften without darkening. Take the pan off the heat. This bacon-and-onion foundation is what makes the peas à la paysanne; the lettuce and peas wait until the last minutes so they keep their character.

5. 5

   Brown and braise

   Pat the pressed sweetbreads completely dry and season them with half the remaining salt and white pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a heavy covered sauté pan over medium heat. Brown the sweetbreads for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until their surfaces are hazelnut-gold, then lift them out. Add the yellow onion, carrot, celery, and another 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. Cook gently for 5 minutes without hard colour. Pour in the wine, scrape up the fond, and reduce it by half. Add 1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 360 g) of the veal stock and the bouquet garni, then return the sweetbreads. Cover them with a cartouche (a parchment lid), put on the pan lid, and hold the liquid at the barest tremble for 25 to 30 minutes. The thickest part should reach 160°F (71°C) and feel firm with a little resilience. If the liquid begins boiling hard, lower the heat and add a spoonful of the reserved cold stock immediately; ça se rattrape, but only if you stop the boil before the flesh tightens.

6. 6

   Finish the braising liquor

   Lift the sweetbreads onto a warm plate and cover them loosely. Strain the braising liquor through a fine-mesh sieve into the wiped sauté pan without pressing the vegetables, since pressing clouds the sauce. Skim away surface fat, then reduce over medium heat to about 3/4 cup (180 ml / 180 g), enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon while remaining fluid. Remove the pan from the heat and monter au beurre (finish with cold butter) by whisking in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. If the liquor becomes too concentrated but has not scorched, loosen it spoonful by spoonful with reserved unsalted stock. If the butter separates, whisk 1 tablespoon of cold stock in a clean pan, then whisk the liquor back into it gradually. Ça se rattrape. Keep it warm without letting it boil again.

7. 7

   Finish the peas

   Return the bacon and pearl onions to medium heat. Add the peas, lettuce, sugar, 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the reserved veal stock, and the remaining salt and white pepper. Cover and simmer gently until the peas are tender, 6 to 10 minutes for fresh peas or 3 to 5 minutes for frozen petits pois. Uncover and let the remaining liquid reduce to a buttery glaze, then fold in the final 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter. If the peas are tender before the liquid has reduced, lift them out briefly, reduce the liquid alone, and return them. Never boil good peas into submission.

8. 8

   Cut four collops

   Rest the sweetbreads for 5 to 8 minutes so their juices settle, then cut each lobe across its widest part into two thick collops, giving four portions. The cut faces should be creamy ivory, moist, and evenly cooked. Brush them with a spoonful of warm braising liquor for sheen, but keep the rest for the sauceboat.

9. 9

   Compose and serve

   Cut four thick slices from the hot Jambon à la Prague sous la Cendre (No. 1419), keeping its burnished pastry around each slice as neatly as the joint allows. Place one slice on every warm plate, set one sweetbread collop beside it, and add exactly 1 generous tablespoon (15 ml) of peas à la paysanne. Pour the remaining braising liquor into the warmed sauceboat and send it apart, as the source directs, so each guest can sauce the sweetbread without drowning the pastry. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for veal heart sweetbreads. They are plumper and more regular than throat sweetbreads, which makes four handsome collops much easier to cut. Order ahead, since even a very good butcher may not keep them in the case.
• •Use light, unsalted veal stock. The braising liquor must reduce by nearly half, and a salty commercial stock becomes harsh before it gains enough body. A good unsalted chicken stock is the honest second choice, though the sauce will be less gelatinous.
• •Fresh peas are splendid when the pods are crisp and the peas inside are small. Out of season, use frozen petits pois picked at their peak; they are truer to the dish than large, starchy fresh peas that have traveled too far.
• •The measured spoonful of peas is deliberate. This is a classical garnish beside ham and sweetbread, not a vegetable bed, so pass any extra peas separately rather than crowding the plate.
• •Pour a dry Alsace Pinot Gris or a rounded white Burgundy. Both have enough body for sweetbread and butter, while their freshness keeps the smoked ham from dominating the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The sweetbreads can be soaked, blanched, trimmed, and pressed one day ahead. Wrap them closely and keep them cold, then dry them thoroughly before browning.
• •The bacon and pearl-onion foundation for the peas can be cooked earlier in the day. Add the peas, lettuce, stock, and final butter only while the braising liquor is reducing.
• •The sweetbreads may be braised up to 4 hours ahead. Cool them promptly in a little of their strained liquor, chill, then reheat gently to 165°F (74°C) before cutting the collops and finishing the sauce.
• •Jambon à la Prague sous la Cendre (No. 1419) remains a separate referenced preparation, and its time is not included in this recipe. Schedule its final baking so the rested joint is ready when the sauce and peas are finished.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 475g)