Sweetbreads with Chestnuts and Port Wine sauce

Last night I was up until 3:45am. I was up a few short hours later. I have not taken a nap. I am a bit worried about my general health, though, as there might be some blood in my espresso-stream. It is 12:23 and I am still not tired, and I have had a busy day.

Normally I cannot use espresso as a substitute for sleep. It just doesn't work. Partly because caffeine does not seem to keep me up at all, unless I am well-rested, in which case I don't really need it anyway. I generally have my last two shots of espresso right before bed. What gives tonight?

Oh well, I might as well post a recipe, since my latest art posts have become way too long and rambling, and will require substantial editing to turn them into something of interest to the general public.

Speaking of General Public, are any of my readers fond of them, too? I mean, they, like Fun Boy Three and several others, were not nearly as good as their former Two Tone band, but they knew how to craft a good pop tune.

But I digress.

I am going to talk about glands.

Sweetbreads, for those of you who do not know them, have nothing to do with Pao Dolce, the wonderful fluffy stuff that my local linguica factory bakes on Friday. They are the Thymus glands of calves. When properly prepared, they are delicious.

For this recipe, you start by trimming and soaking them according to Julia Child's recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Then you parboil them in acidulated water (again, following the master recipe). When they are ready, you cut them into bite sized pieces and saute them in butter. Add cooked chestnuts (canned are fine), deglaze with port, reduce and add creme fraiche. Finish with a dash of port, and salt and white pepper to taste.

Now, one time my variety meats supplier slipped in brains with the sweetbreads (they were frozen and carelessly marked). Technically you can do the same thing for brains as you can for sweetbreads, except brains have too soft a texture, if you ask me.

So, there you have it: a variety meat that I will pass on.

Next up: tripe, glorious tripe!

Posted by erik at February 4, 2005 12:29 AM | TrackBack