Sweetbreads are two large glands lying along the back of the throat and in the breast. Those found in veal are considered the best. They spoil very quickly and should be put in cold water for one-half hour and parboiled before using in any form.

To Prepare Sweetbreads

Put them in cold water. Remove the pipes and membranes. Cook in boiling salted water with one tablespoonful of lemon juice or one-half tablespoonful of vinegar, for twenty minutes, then plunge in cold water for ten minutes to harden.

Sweetbreads A La Touraine

Parboil two sweetbreads; melt three tablespoon-fuls of butter, saute the sweetbreads in it with two good-sized slices of onion and one carrot sliced. When browned remove the sweetbreads to a baking pan, add two tablespoonfuls of sherry, one-half cup rich stock, cook in the oven for half an hour, basting often. Mash a pint of cooked peas through a sieve, reheat, allowing the water to cook out of them, season with butter, pepper and salt, shape into nests (on the platter, one for each sweetbread). Arrange the sweetbreads in the nests and pour around them the following sauce:

Saute six fresh mushrooms, cut in strips, in butter; stir in two tablespoonfuls of flour; when blended with the butter add a cup of thick cream and the gravy left in the pan after cooking the sweetbreads. A nest of the whole peas may be used.

Stuffed Sweetbreads

After the sweetbreads have been parboiled trim and peel. Then stuff with the following force meat. One teaspoonful of bread crumbs. One teaspoonful of chopped nuts. Four mushrooms chopped fine. Two teaspoonfuls of cream and two of melted butter.

Put in a shallow baking pan. Season with pepper and salt and a few pieces of butter. Bake quickly basting with white wine which has in it a little melted currant jelly. Serve on toast rounds. Garnish with cress.

Fried Sweetbreads

Cut the parboiled sweetbreads in slices. Dip in egg, crumb and egg again. Fry in deep fat for one minute, or season the slices with salt and pepper. Saute in hot butter. Garnish with parsley and olives or pickles and slices of lemon.

Larded Sweetbreads

Lard the parboiled sweetbreads in even rows, and bake in the oven until brown, first sprinkling with flour, salt and pepper.

Creamed

Cut in cubes and serve in white sauce, on toast, patty cases, bread boxes or timbale cases. They may be served in the same way with poulette sauce.

Sweetbreads Served In Ramquin Dishes Or Shells

Cut the sweetbreads in small pieces, mix with a cream or poulette sauce. Butter well the dishes, fill two-thirds full, cover with buttered crumbs and bake in a hot oven for eight minutes. Serve at once. Mushrooms or oysters can be added to them.