The Skilful Cook Part 30

_Method._--Trim the sweetbreads, and soak them in cold water for two hours.

Then throw them into boiling water, and simmer them gently for five minutes.

Soak them again in cold water for twenty minutes.

Then put them in a stewpan with the stock, carrot, turnip, onion, parsley, and ham.

Simmer gently until the sweetbreads are quite tender.

Then remove them, and add to the stock the flour mixed thoroughly with b.u.t.ter.

Stir and boil well, to cook the flour.

Add the cream, lemon juice, and seasoning.

Strain the sauce through a fine strainer or tammy-cloth.

Dish the sweetbreads in a circle on a border of mashed potatoes.

Pour the sauce over them.

Put on each sweetbread a tiny pinch of finely-chopped parsley, ham, or truffle; or use all three, placing them alternately.

The green peas should be put in the centre of the dish.

Braised Sweetbreads.

_Ingredients_--2 calves' sweetbreads.

1 pint of strong second stock.

A piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.

1 sprig of parsley, thyme, and marjoram.

1 bay leaf.

Some larding bacon.

Some carrots and turnips cut in fancy shapes.

_Method._--Soak the sweetbreads in cold water for quite two hours.

Then put them in boiling water, and simmer them for ten minutes to make them firm.

Soak them again in cold water for twenty minutes, and then lard them nicely.

Put the vegetables, cut in pieces, in the bottom of a stewpan.

Lay the sweetbreads on them, and pour in the stock; it should come half way up the sweetbreads.

Cover them with b.u.t.tered paper, and put the lid on the stewpan.

Simmer gently until the sweetbreads are tender.

Then put them on a baking-tin, and put them in the oven to brown.

Strain the stock they were cooked in into a large saucepan, and boil it rapidly down to a glaze.

Put the sweetbreads on a hot dish, and pour the glaze over.

Carrots and turnips may be cut in fancy shapes, and nicely boiled to garnish the dish.

If preferred, the sweetbreads can be cooked without being larded; a slice of very thin bacon being laid on the top of each.

If a proper braising-pan is used, the sweetbreads need not be browned in the oven.

Lambs' sweetbreads can be cooked the same way. One dozen will be wanted for a small dish.

Sweetbreads a la Parisienne.

_Ingredients_--1 dozen lambs' heart sweetbreads.

1 pint of good second stock.

2 oz. of b.u.t.ter.

1 oz. of flour.

A piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.

1 sprig of parsley.

1 dessertspoonful of mushroom catsup.

1 winegla.s.s of sherry.

A few drops of lemon juice.

Pepper and salt.

Some mashed potatoes.

Green peas nicely cooked.

_Method._--Trim the sweetbreads and soak them for two hours; throw them in boiling water, and simmer them gently for five minutes; then soak them in cold water for twenty minutes.

Simmer them in the stock until they are quite tender.

Then make the b.u.t.ter quite hot in a stewpan.

Fry the sweetbreads in it until nicely browned.

Remove them and fry the flour; then pour in the stock, and stir, and cook well; add the catsup, wine, and lemon juice.

Dish the sweetbreads on a border of mashed potatoes, and pour the same over them.

Put a garnish of nicely cooked green peas in the middle.

Minced Sweetbread.

_Ingredients_--The remains of dressed sweetbreads.