Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms is classic French cooking. A modern cook might simplify and combine steps, but by attending to detail, flavors are perfected along the way and complement the simple sweetbreads. Alas, the mirepoix, bouquet garni, flavorful ham, and broth elevate this dish to rich comfort food. Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms are tender, succulent and flavorful. As usual, Mastering the Art of French Cooking does not disappoint.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Sweetbreads with Braised Mushrooms is adapted from my well-worn copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Speaking of which… a reader recently emailed me to inquire about Kidneys in Mustard-Butter and Parsley Sauce, a recipe shared on this site that I had prepared from this book. That post had inspired them to purchase the book; however, they were disappointed to discover that their recent edition came absent the chapter on offal!
What a shame! In the bubble world which I inhabit, I thought that organ meats were gaining in popularity. Certainly, mainstream health status would benefit from the nutrient-density of organ meats, but perhaps recipes like these are too much. Alas, I am confused about so many things. In any case, I confirmed the publication of my own edition (2004!) and wished my reader well in their search for a used copy.
Chicken Liver Mousse is another beloved recipe adapted from this edition.
Used books and experimenting
Truthfully, I have spent over a decade collecting resources on how to prepare organ meats. I have spent many hours in libraries and in used book stores searching and reading. I have collected books alongside a binder full of clipped recipes from over the years.
To start, I always check the index for offal. Beyond that, I will compare recipes. A book with many recipes may only have one basic framework repeated several times. A gem will have a variety of cuts and a variety of preparations. Mastering the Art of French Cooking fits this well. As does Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking, Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast, or Jennifer McLagan’s Odd Bits.
The former two chefs occupied a time and place where they gained knowledge of thorough and traditional cooking techniques, while nose-to-tail eating was still standard. The latter two books work to preserve the breath of nose-to-tail recipes in a more modern context. The trouble with many other older cookbooks (and even Henderson to some extent) is that they assume a baseline level of cooking prowess that is beyond many modern cooks and descriptions are vague.
Sweetbreads preparation clockwise from top left – raw sweetbreads, poached sweetbreads, mirepoix prepared, and ready for braising.
That said, I still considering experimenting to be gold standard for learning and gaining practical knowledge. If you haven’t obtained mastery, experimenting is required to gain experience, required to gain learning, required to accumulate mastery. Certainly, all of us have room to learn and grow, so let’s get into the kitchen and start experimenting!
Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms
In Braised Sweetbreads with Mushrooms, the characteristics of French cuisine will not disappoint. First, ‘sophistication and superior taste,’ evolve from mindfully ensuring each step is flavorful. Second, a sauce or gravy based on broth. Third, transforming what we might consider unfamiliar ingredients into something somehow comforting and familiar. Such a treat!
I served this preparation over wild rice instead of white (for no particular reason) and a simple salad. The dish turned out beautifully. A final hallmark of French cuisine may also be a pleasing presentation. Perhaps I will continue to experiment with this the next time I prepare this dish.
Braised Sweetbreads with Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 lbs sweetbreads
- 6 parsley stems
- 4 thyme branches
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1/2 c chopped meaty country bacon, divided
- 8 T butter, divided plus buttered dish/pot
- salt
- pepper
- 1/4 cup + 1 T dry white wine, divided
- 1-3 c broth
- 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1.5 T arrowroot flour
- 2 T tomato paste
- prepared rice (optional, to serve)
- 2 T parsley, chopped
- toasted breadcrumbs (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare sweetbreads by soaking for a couple of hours in water to cover, in the fridge, to remove impurities. Optionally, drain and repeat. Remove thick outer membrane or any other connective tissue by pulling away and trimming with shears. Reserve.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Tie parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with twine into a bouquet garni and set aside. Add half of your butter - 4 tablespoons to pan on medium heat. When melted, add bouquet garni along with carrots, celery, and half of the country bacon - only 1/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are soft, but not brown.
- Meanwhile, season the sweetbreads with salt and pepper. After your vegetables are tender, add them to the pan and baste them with the butter and vegetables. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on medium-low. Remove lid, turn over the sweetbreads, again, baste them with some butter and vegetables, cover and cook for another five minutes.
- Remove the sweetbreads to a small/medium sized oven-proof dish or pot where the sweetbreads will fit snugly. Reserve.
- Add 1/4 cup of the wine (only) and broth to the pan with the vegetables and increase heat to high. Bring to a boil and cook down liquids and juices from the pan until they have reduced to 1/2 cup. Pour all of this - including the liquids, bouquet garni, vegetables, and country bacon over the sweetbreads. Heat additional broth that you may need to cover the sweetbreads. Add this to the dish as well.
- Cover the dish with its lid or with parchment paper cut to fit the dish. Bake for 45 minutes. Let the sweetbreads cool in the dish/in their broth until you are ready to use them.
- In a separate pan, heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter on medium heat. When foaming subsides, add mushrooms, the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir well, then cover and cook for 8 minutes. Remove lid, turn to high heat and cook off liquid until mushrooms start to brown. Turn off heat and reserve.
- Remove the sweetbreads from broth (reserving cooking liquid), cut into thin slices and set aside. In a ramekin, mix arrowroot with remaining tablespoon of wine and set aside.
- Boil down the cooking liquid (including bouquet garni, vegetables and ham) to about one and a half cups. Remove and throw out bouquet garni. With a whisk, beat in the arrowroot mixture and tomato paste. Add cooked mushrooms and remaining 1/4 cup chopped country bacon. Simmer for a few minutes until all warm, correct seasonings if necessary and fold in sliced sweetbreads.
- Arrange on a platter with rice, garnish with parsley and optional toasted breadcrumbs. Serve immediately.
I AM WRITING IN REGARD TO YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT LIVER COCKTAILS. dR. pOTTENGER LIVED IN THE sAN fRENANCO vALLEY IN CALIFORNIA. hE WAS MY DOCTOR WHEN I WAS A CHILD. MY FFAMILY AND I DRANK LIVER COCKTAILS EVERY EVENING BEFORE DINNER. i AM AN 82 YEAR OLD WOMAN AND UP UNTILE 2010, I WAS VERY HEALTHY. AT 72, I GOT STAGE 3 COLON CANCER. I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF GOING BACK TO LIVER COCKTAILS. THE RECIPES YOU HAVE ARE PERFECT FOR US ALL. AND, EASY TO UNDERSTAND. THANK YOOU FOR ;OSTING THIS I WAS THRILLED TO READ YOUR ARTICLE ABOUT THE CATS AND WHAT HE FED THEM. I USED TO WALK UP THE HILL AFTER MY APPOINTMENT AND VISIT THE CATS .
Dear Gayle – I love this story. Thank you so much for sharing! I have sent you an email separately.
Warmly,
Janine