Ris de Veau

The sweetbread, or thymus gland, consists of two parts. The “heart” or round gland is superior in quality to the elongated “throat” gland. In French cooking the “throat” would be used in braised dishes, while the “heart” would be used to sauté or grill. But we do not make a distinction. Unlike most delicate meats, sweetbreads improve in flavor when cooked a long time. They are at their best when braised, but they may also be broiled or sautéed. In French cooking sweetbreads are always blanched before they are used in recipes. This parboiling firms the flesh and helps keep the meat from falling apart as it cooks. Some nationalities do not believe in blanching sweetbreads. They feel some flavor is lost in the process. This may be true, but in my opinion sweetbreads are a superior product when blanched.