Name: Braised Sweetbreads in the Style of a Blanquette (Blanquette de ris de Veau)
Yield: Makes 4 Main-course Servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: coarse salt; 2 shallots, chopped fine; 1 medium-size carrot, peeled and chopped fine (or cut into ¼-inch [.5-cm] dice if you’re not straining the sauce); ½ stalk celery, chopped fine (or cut into regular dice if you’re not straining the sauce); 1 tablespoon butter; 1 garlic clove, chopped fine; 3 cups [750 ml] white veal broth or White Chicken Broth; ½ cup [125 ml] white wine; 2 pounds [900 g] veal sweetbreads; ½ pound [250 g] small cultivated mushrooms or wild mushrooms such as morels; salt; 1 teaspoon lemon juice, or to taste; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; pepper; ½ cup [125 ml] heavy cream; 1 small bouquet garni; 20 pearl onions

Preparation info

Makes
4
Main-course Servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

I understand why some people don’t like liver and kidneys, because these organs have such an assertive flavor, and I understand why brains make some people nervous, because their fragility is a reminder of our own vulnerability. But I’m mystified as to why so many people don’t like sweetbreads. Sweetbreads have a delicate flavor that captures the essence of veal and a texture that is more reminiscent of tender muscle—the meat we usually eat—than of organ meat. Part of the problem may be tha