Sweetbreads Braised In Wild Mushroom Broth Food

BRAISED SWEETBREADS MARSALA WITH HONEY MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• The night before or the morning of the day you plan to cook your sweetbreads, or at least several hours before, put them in a small pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Squeeze the juice of the half-lemon into the pot, and add a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a lively simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the sweetbreads, and plunge them into cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, carefully open up the lobes just enough to ease out some of the connective tissue. You won't get it all, but don't worry. Now put the sweetbreads on a small plate, put another plate on top, and set something heavy on it-a jar of jam or a soup can. Refrigerate for an hour or so, or overnight.
• About 20 minutes before cooking, soak the dried honey mushrooms in 3/4 cup warm water.
• When ready to cook, melt the butter in a small skillet and sauté the shallot until softened. Break the sweetbreads up into about six pieces, following the lobes, and dredge the pieces in lightly salted flour. Toss them into the pan, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Pour in a good splash of Marsala, and let it cook down until almost evaporated. Strain the soaked honey mushrooms, reserving the straining water, and toss them into the pan. Sauté together for another minute before adding the mushroom soaking liquid and the glace de viande or stock. Turn the heat down, cover, and let braise for about 10 minutes, checking frequently to see that there is enough sauce, and adding a little water and/or stock as necessary. Taste, correct seasonings, and add some freshly ground pepper.
• Enjoy this delight with some steamed new potatoes and/or fresh peas or other compatible seasonal vegetable.
• Of course, different kinds of mushrooms can be substituted, including fresh, but I find that using at least some dried mushrooms gives an intensity to the sauce. And Madeira is every bit as good as Marsala here.

WILD MUSHROOM BROTH

Steps:

• Set porcini and warm water in a skillet and bring to a simmer; let mushrooms soak for 20 minutes or until tender. (Take advantage of this time to make your scallop and raddichio salad.)
• Drain the soaked porcini and rinse them to remove any grit and chop. Strain soaking liquid through a paper lined sieve to remove any grit; reserve.
• Saute shallots in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add all but the reserved mushroom caps, cover and cook over low heat or until mushrooms are tender. Add minced soaked porcini, reserved liquid and broth; bring to a simmer and season to taste; garnish with sliced raw mushroom.

SWEETBREADS BRAISED IN WILD MUSHROOM BROTH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, ground clove, salt and black pepper and dust the sweetbreads. Warm a cast-iron skillet over high heat, spray with vegetable oil and quickly sear each sweet bread and remove.
• Place each sweetbread in the bottom of a small, ovenproof bowl. Top each with a mushroom slice. Add the soy sauce to the mushroom broth and divide evenly among the four bowls. Top each with thyme, scallions and minced tomato. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and serve.

SIMPLE BRAISED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallot and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have let off some of their juices are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze with the Marsala, if using, and add the broth and remaining salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about an additional 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs, stir in the butter and serve.

WARM SWEETBREAD SALAD WITH HARICOTS VERTS, WILD MUSHROOMS, AND HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE (RECIPE COURTESY OF THE DEAN AND DELUCA COOKBOOK)

Steps:

• Soak the sweetbreads in a large bowl of cold water for 3 hours, changing the water several times. Then remove the sweetbreads from the water and gently pull away as much of the outer membrane as you can, being careful not to tear the flesh. Soak the sweetbreads again for 1 hour, this time in a large bowl of cold water with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. Remove from the water and peel away more of the membrane. Separate the sweetbreads into its 2 lobes.
• Fill a medium saucepan with 5 cups cold water, 1 teaspoon coarse salt and the white wine vinegar. Place the sweetbreads in the pan and slowly bring the water to a simmer over moderate heat (this should take about 10 minutes). Allow the water to simmer very gently for another 5 minutes. (The sweetbreads should be firm on the outside, but still give a little when squeezed). Remove sweetbreads and place them in ice water for 10 minutes to stop the cooking.
• Dry sweetbreads and place in a heavy loaf pan or a terrine lined with plastic wrap. Cover with another layer of plastic wrap. Place another heavy loaf pan or terrine on top to weigh down the sweetbreads, and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook haricots verts until they are crisp but slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and reserve at room temperature.
• In a small bowl combine the lemon juice with the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of the shallots. Slowly whisk in the hazelnut oil. Season to taste with salt and the additional black pepper. Reserve.
• Place 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add remaining shallots and saute, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, making sure the pan is not overcrowded. (It may be necessary to saute the mushrooms in 2 batches). Saute with a big pinch of salt, shaking the pan occasionally, until mushrooms are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet and reserve. If there is liquid in the pan that the mushrooms have given off, boil it until it is reduced to 1 to 2 tablespoons and pour over the mushrooms.
• With a very sharp knife, cut the weighted sweetbreads into broad slices that are about 1/4 inch thick. Combine the flour, the remaining 2 teaspoons of coarse salt, and the 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper on a plate and mix well. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the skillet in which the mushrooms cooked, and place over high heat. Dredge sweetbread slices in the seasoned flour on both sides and add to hot oil. Saute, turning, until sweetbreads are browned and crispy on the outside, about 3 minutes. Remove.
• Toss reserved haricots verts and mushrooms together. Toss mixture with about half the hazelnut vinaigrette. Place one-fourth of the mixture on each of 4 plates. Nestle pieces of the crispy sweetbread slices among the haricots verts/ mushroom mixture, and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the sweetbread slices. Garnish with chervil.
• Suggested drink: Domaine Laroche Chablis Premier Crus, Les Fourchaumes 1987.