Sweetbreads

Oddly enough, these over-sized loogies are neither sweet nor bread. What are they? The origin of the sweetbread is actually a well-documented tale of a newlywed couple in the offal business in 18th century London:

"Oi! Nigel, you lazy scallywag! Up n' at 'em! 'Ese brains won't up n' sell 'emselves!"
"Oh crikey Petunia, no one wants t' buy anyfink called 'FROAT!'"
"Oh? What 'ave we 'ere? A regular Adam Smif!"
"Come off it, luv!"
"You've no bizness sense, Nigel! You've just got t' ma'ket 'em!"

After much head scratching and enjoying only minor success with the sourcake, saltdanish, and umamimuffin, Nigel & Petunia finally hit their cash cow with sweetbreads.

Krang wondered how those pesky Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kept foiling his evil plans.

Sweetbreads are, in fact, the pancreas or thymus gland of a young animal such as a calf or lamb. The use of "bread" comes from an Old English term that refers, much like the Bible, to flesh. They are typically associated with European (primarily French and Italian) fine dining, but can be found in Latin American cuisine as well.

The most tasty sweetbreads tend to be those of the veal thymus, but before you go all PETA on me just know that the gland shrinks as an animal ages, so...you know, without the veal there are no sweetbreads and Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide would plummet into bankruptcy. The French might even have to work more than 40 hours a week, resulting in a possible coup d'etat and possibly their first national military victory.

Sweetbreads with Champagne Sauce

Sweetbreads

Sweetbreads, blanched and sliced into 1/2" thick segments
capers
flour
kosher salt & cracked black pepper
1 gallon milk (or water)
extra-virgin olive oil
butter

Bring a pot of milk to a simmer/scant boil. Submerge the whole sweetbreads for 4-5 minutes, or until slightly firm. Blanch them in an ice water bath, then dry. Remove the protective "skin" or membrane. When they have cooled, slice into segments at 1/2" thickness, season them well with salt and pepper, and dust them with flour. Sear them in a hot pan with the olive oil and butter until they are cooked through and have a nice golden-brown crust on each side. 2 minutes before the cooking process is done, add the capers.

Champagne Sauce

1/3 C champagne vinegar
1 egg
1 clove garlic
1 tsp capers
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 T mixed herbs (basil, parsley, tarragon, fennel)
dashes Worcestershire
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt & cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients except for the olive oil and blend. Slowly add olive oil to emulsify until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of a dressing. Serve with the sweetbreads.


I would eat this again. And again. While the veal flavor is extremely tasty, the real stars of the dish are the contrasting elements. The crust provided by the sear goes well with the smooth interior of the sweetbread slices. The cool, herbaceous, and tangy dressing cuts the hot and almost liver-like taste. The fried capers are a real gem that add a great pop, and a leafy vegetable such as arugula (I used potato greens) provides a nice peppery finish. Cooked correctly, the sweetbreads should have none of the mushy consistency that their raw form would indicate. Oh, and I'd suggest brushing your teeth after this one.

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