Sweetbreads With Madeira Sauce Recipes

SWEETBREADS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• Rinse sweetbreads under cold running water. Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt in 2 cups cold water in a 2-quart bowl. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Add sweetbreads; water should cover them. Soak 1 to 2 hours. Place cherries in a dish, add wine and set aside at least 2 hours.
• Remove sweetbreads from water and use a sharp knife to peel off translucent membrane and remove any bits of fat. If sweetbreads separate into sections, that is fine. Place sweetbreads in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add almost all remaining lemon juice, bring to a slow simmer and poach 15 minutes. Allow to cool in liquid, then refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove sweetbreads from liquid. Separate into 1- to 2-inch nuggets. Pat dry. Season flour with salt and pepper and dust sweetbreads. Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan with a cover. Very lightly brown sweetbreads. Remove to a dish. Add pancetta and onion to skillet. Sauté on medium-low until starting to color. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened. Add cherries with wine, and stock. Stir to deglaze pan. Bring to a simmer, add sweetbreads, baste with sauce.
• Cover and simmer gently 10 minutes. Season sauce with remaining juice of lemon and salt and pepper. Baste sweetbreads again, add tarragon and serve.

SWEETBREADS WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the sweetbreads in a saucepan and add cold water to cover. Add salt, bay leaf,parsley,thyme and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
• Slice each lobe on the bias into four pieces of equal thickness. Sprinkle the slices on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Dredge the slices in flour and shake off excess.
• Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy skillet. Add the sweetbread slices and cook 5 minutes on one side or until golden brown and slightly crisp. Turn the slices and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a heated platter.
• Pour off any fat remaining in the skillet and add 1 tablespoon butter. Add the shallots and mushrooms and stir. Cook until the mushrooms are wilted.
• Sprinkle the mushroom mixture with the Madeira and stir. Add the broth and tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Add the sweetbread slices in one layer. Cover closely and cook 5 minutes.
• Transfer the sweetbread slices to a warm platter. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of butter into the sauce and pour it over the sweetbreads. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

WINE SAUCE FOR SWEETBREADS

Steps:

• Cook the flour in the melted butter in a frying pan, whisking often, until a golden blonde color. Set aside.
• Reduce red wine by half in a 1-quart pot over medium heat, then set aside.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a small saute pan over medium heat, then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, onions, peppers and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Let vegetables cool for a couple of minutes, then add them to a food processor and liquify as much as possible, adding 1/4 cup beef broth if the vegetables become too sticky. Transfer back to the pan and add the reduced wine, then add the remaining 2 3/4 cups beef broth and bring back to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and thicken with the roux until the sauce is as thick as you would like it to be. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and black pepper to taste, then simmer for 2 additional minutes.

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.

SWEETBREADS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• To blanch sweetbreads, first wash in cold water, then place in a bowl and soak for about 2 hours in several changes of cold water . Pull off as much membrane and filament as you can without tearing the flesh. Soak for another 2 hours, this time adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar per quart of cold water. Pull off the filament and remove connecting tubes between lobes, if present. Place sweetbreads in a saucepan and cover by about two inches with boiling water. Add the salt and lemon juice (1 tsp salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice per quart of water). Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water for 5 minutes. Drain.
• When ready to cook, cut the blanched sweetbreads into bite-size cubes and brown them in the butter in a roomy skillet (You may need to brown them in two batches so as not to crowd them). Remove the sweetbreads to a plate. In the same skillet quickly brown the mushrooms over a brisk flame, adding more butter if needed. Add the lemon juice to the skillet and cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
• Return the sweetbreads to the skillet and add the chicken stock, tomato paste, sherry (I actually prefer dry marsala -- port or madeira would probably be OK, too), and bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add pepper. Dissolve the arrowroot in the white wine and add to skillet to thicken.
• The sweetbreads may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before reheating.