Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Sweetbreads, Vol-au-Vent of.— Soak two large fine sweetbreads in water for a couple of hours. Boil them quickly for ten minutes, and throw them into cold water. When cool, dry them perfectly, cut them into small pieces, and dredge flour upon them. Melt two ounces of butter in a saucepan, put in the pieces of sweetbread, and add the third of a pint of white stock, the strained juice of a lemon, two tablespoonfuls of sherry or madeira, a bunch of sweet herbs, the thin rind of half a lemon, half a blade of mace, two cloves, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Let the sauce boil up once, skim it, and let the sweetbreads simmer gently until done enough. Take them up, strain the sauce, and mix with it gradually the yolks of two eggs beaten up with four tablespoonfuls of cream. Stir the sauce over the fire for a minute or two, but do not let it boil. Make a vol-au-vent case four inches in diameter. Bake it until done enough, scoop out the centre, and fill it with the mince. Serve the vol-auvent very hot on a neatly-folded napkin. This dish will be much improved if a few mushrooms and browned potatoes are added to the preparation. Clean and skin eighteen or twenty button mushrooms, put them into a saucepan, cover with boiling water, and add the strained juice of a lemon and a little salt. Let them boil quickly for ten or twelve minutes. Make a dozen small balls of mashed potatoes, dip these in egg, and make them hot in the oven. Fill the vol-au-vent case (which, if the mushrooms and potatoes are added, will need to be six inches in diameter) with layers of sweetbread, potato balls, and mushrooms. Pour the sauce over all, and serve. Sweetbreads, White.— Soak, blanch, and cool the sweetbreads in the usual way. Put into a saucepan of a size to hold them conveniently, but no larger, as much white stock as will barely cover the sweetbreads. Thicken this with white roux or with a little flour and butter, add a bunch of parsley, a small onion, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Let it simmer two or three minutes, then add two table-spoonfuls of thick cream. Put in the sweetbreads, and let them simmer in the sauce until done enough. Take the herbs out of the sauce, let it cool a minute, then mix a spoonful of it with the yolk of an egg. Add this gradually to the rest of the sauce, stir it until it is smooth, then put the sweetbreads on a dish, and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with parsley and lemon, or with a few mushrooms. If liked, the egg yolks may be omitted, and a dessert-spoonful of lemon- juice may be added to the sauce, which should be rather highly seasoned. White dishes should not be insipid; though delicate, they should be piquant. Time, half an hour to simmer the sweetbreads. Probable cost, Is. 6d. to 5s. each. Sufficient, one sweetbread for two persons. Sweetbreads with Mushrooms. — Soak, blanch, and trim two fine sweetbreads, and lard them evenly with thin strips of fat bacon. Slice a carrot, a turnip, a small onion,