Sweetbreads With Mushrooms And Cherries Recipes

SWEETBREADS AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• To blanch sweetbreads, first wash in cold water, then place in a bowl and soak for about 2 hours in several changes of cold water . Pull off as much membrane and filament as you can without tearing the flesh. Soak for another 2 hours, this time adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar per quart of cold water. Pull off the filament and remove connecting tubes between lobes, if present. Place sweetbreads in a saucepan and cover by about two inches with boiling water. Add the salt and lemon juice (1 tsp salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice per quart of water). Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water for 5 minutes. Drain.
• When ready to cook, cut the blanched sweetbreads into bite-size cubes and brown them in the butter in a roomy skillet (You may need to brown them in two batches so as not to crowd them). Remove the sweetbreads to a plate. In the same skillet quickly brown the mushrooms over a brisk flame, adding more butter if needed. Add the lemon juice to the skillet and cook, covered, for 3 minutes.
• Return the sweetbreads to the skillet and add the chicken stock, tomato paste, sherry (I actually prefer dry marsala -- port or madeira would probably be OK, too), and bay leaf. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add pepper. Dissolve the arrowroot in the white wine and add to skillet to thicken.
• The sweetbreads may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before reheating.

SWEETBREADS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• Rinse sweetbreads under cold running water. Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt in 2 cups cold water in a 2-quart bowl. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Add sweetbreads; water should cover them. Soak 1 to 2 hours. Place cherries in a dish, add wine and set aside at least 2 hours.
• Remove sweetbreads from water and use a sharp knife to peel off translucent membrane and remove any bits of fat. If sweetbreads separate into sections, that is fine. Place sweetbreads in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add almost all remaining lemon juice, bring to a slow simmer and poach 15 minutes. Allow to cool in liquid, then refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove sweetbreads from liquid. Separate into 1- to 2-inch nuggets. Pat dry. Season flour with salt and pepper and dust sweetbreads. Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan with a cover. Very lightly brown sweetbreads. Remove to a dish. Add pancetta and onion to skillet. Sauté on medium-low until starting to color. Add mushrooms and sauté until softened. Add cherries with wine, and stock. Stir to deglaze pan. Bring to a simmer, add sweetbreads, baste with sauce.
• Cover and simmer gently 10 minutes. Season sauce with remaining juice of lemon and salt and pepper. Baste sweetbreads again, add tarragon and serve.