Veal Sweetbreads

Sweetbreads are the thymus gland of a young animal; it shrivels to no more than a memory in an adult animal. It consists of two connected sections—the elongated throat sweetbread and a large full lobe called in French la noix. Lamb sweetbreads are treated in the same way as veal sweetbreads, but, because they are so much smaller and less presentable, they are usually treated as a ragoût.

Whatever the ultimate preparation, sweetbreads should first be soaked in cold water for, ideally, several hours (½ hour of soaking will not be disastrous, however), then covered generously with new cold water, brought slowly to a boil, and left to simmer for a very few minutes, drained, plunged into cold water and, when cool, freed of all fat, cartilaginous tubes, and superficial membranes (but the connective tissue holding together the sweetbread sections should be left intact). Placed between two towels, a weighted board on top, they are left for several hours—or overnight. For most purposes a weight of 4 or 5 pounds is enough, but for a particularly firm, easily manageable, and attractively presentable grilled noix, it is well to count up to a 10-pound weight. Dipped in melted butter, seasoned, and grilled for about 30 minutes over well-sustained but not intense wood coals, turned several times and regularly basted with melted butter—using a little brush fashioned from fresh thyme or rosemary branches, if possible—the sweetbreads’ pristine beauty is best understood. Sauce is superfluous. They are most often braised and are, then, never better than when garnished with fresh little peas. They may be treated like a fricassée (floured, lightly colored in butter, moistened with a bit of white wine and veal stock to cover, simmered for ½ hour or so, garnished, if one likes, with precooked little onions and mushrooms, the liquid skimmed and finished, like a blanquette, with egg yolks or egg yolks and cream) or simply stewed gently in butter for ½ hour. However cooked, the process should be gentle and should last a minimum of 25 to 30 minutes—undercooked, sweetbreads are not pleasant.