Veal sweetbreads with ras el hanout, cauliflower purée, watercress and coriander

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This veal sweetbreads recipe from Marcus Eaves combines the nutty, mellow flavours of cauliflower and pine nut with vibrant pomegranate, coriander and lemon, rounding off the dish with beautifully prepared sweetbreads gently spiced with ras el hanout.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Veal swetbreads

Cauliflower purée

  • 200g of cauliflower, finely chopped
  • 150g of milk
  • 100g of double cream
  • 3g of salt

Lemon vinaigrette

  • 120ml of lemon olive oil
  • 30g of lemon vinegar
  • salt to taste

Cauliflower couscous

Garnish

Equipment

  • Mandoline
  • Blender
  • Sous vide equipment

Method

1
Start by making the cauliflower crisp to garnish the dish. Use a mandoline to cut 2mm thick slices of half of the cauliflower set aside for garnish. Lay the slices out onto a non-stick mat and place in a dehydrator at 60°C until the cauliflower is crisp, for approximately 4-6 hours
2
For the cauliflower purée, add the milk, double cream and salt to a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cauliflower and cook until tender and soft to the touch, this will take 5-10 minutes
  • 200g of cauliflower, finely chopped
  • 150g of milk
  • 100g of double cream
  • 3g of salt
3
Allow to cook until about half of the liquid has evaporated, then tip the contents of the pan into a strainer, saving the liquid. Blend the cauliflower with half of the remaining liquid, adding more to achieve the desired consistency. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside until ready to serve
4
For the lemon vinaigrette, simply whisk together the ingredients until smooth. Ensure to mix well again before using later
  • 120ml of lemon olive oil
  • 30g of lemon vinegar
  • salt to taste
5
For the cauliflower couscous, cook the cauliflower in salted boiling water until tender for 2-3 minutes, strain and refresh in ice water. Drain and mix in the golden raisins and pine nuts. Toss to combine and season to taste with the lemon vinaigrette. Set aside
6
To cook the sweetbreads, preheat a water bath to 63˚C. Season evenly with salt and pepper and vacuum seal. Cook in the water bath for 11 minutes and cool in ice cold water. Then, remove from the pouch and pat dry
7
Season the cooked sweetbreads and roll in a mix of the flour and ras el hanout. Add a generous film of olive oil to a pan and place over a high heat. Once hot, caramelise the sweetbreads on one side and turn over. Add a tablespoon of the butter, the garlic and the thyme sprigs and use a spoon to continuously baste the sweetbreads in the foaming butter for another 1-2 minutes
  • 70g of T45 flour
  • 5g of ras el hanout
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp of butter, plus beurre noisette butter
8
Remove the sweetbreads from the pan, rest for 45 seconds then carve. Drain the fat from the pan, wipe dry with kitchen paper and return to the heat. Make a beurre noisette with another knob of butter and add the pine nuts, chopped parsley and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Remove from the heat and set aside
9
Cut the remaining cauliflower half for garnish into medium sized florets. Blanch the pieces of cauliflower in salted boiling water for up to 1 minute, then remove and set aside to dry
10
Place a small pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter and the chicken stock. Reduce to a glaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to maintain its texture. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl
11
Roll the blanched cauliflower through this chicken stock and butter emulsion until well-coated
12
To serve, add the fresh pomegranate, mint and coriander to the cauliflower couscous. Place one heaped tablespoon of the couscous on each plate and place the buttered cauliflower around the edge
13
Add slices of sweetbread to cover the cauliflower couscous. Dress the sweetbreads with the beurre noisette and decorate the plate with baby watercress, picked coriander leaves and dehydrated cauliflower. Finish with quenelles of the cauliflower purée and a drizzle of olive oil
First published in 2015

Followers of Marcus Eaves’ career can’t be surprised to see him earning wide acclaim for his delicious cooking at Oblix, a restaurant at the top of London's Shard building.

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