Braised Sweetbreads with Madeira Sauce

When we spoke with Chef David Goulaze, who conducts our cooking classes in the kitchens of the Paris Ritz Hotel, he mentioned that his favourite home-made dish is braised sweetbreads with Madeira sauce. So we thought we'd give you an idea of how this dish is made.

In case you're out of the loop on offal, sweetbreads are the thymus gland of a calf and weigh in at about a pound. The gland is made up of 2 lobes connected by a soft tube called the cornet.

Before they can be braised, the sweetbreads must be parboiled in lightly salted water for about 5 minutes, drained, and cooled slightly. Then carefully remove the membrane and cut them into even pieces. Dust the pieces lightly with flour.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the sweetbreads and cook over low heat, shaking the pan frequently, until they are golden brown. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes more.

Pour in the Madeira, bring just to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cooking juices have thickened. Transfer to a warm serving dish.

Note: we put together this recipe from information we found in Julia Child's classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 and also in The Silver Spoon , the most influential cookbook in Italy. You can order from Amazon.com by clicking on the titles.

In Canada, click on Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 from Amazon.ca or The Silver Spoon from Amazon.ca.