Sweetbread heart, French peas, crumbled pretzels

3/27/24

Discover this traditional French dish with an Alsatian twist from Nicolas Frech, chef at La Table du 12 in Turckheim.

This recipe by Nicolas Frech, chef at La Table du 12 in Turckheim, is taken from the 2024 edition ofLivre 109: Le sang neuf de la gastronomie française. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Resting time: 12 h

Ingredients for sweetbreads, peas and pretzels

For the sweetbread heart

1 kg sweetbread heart
6 tbsp. flour
100 g butter
3-4 cl oil
1 lemon

For the French peas

450 g fresh peas
1 lettuce
150 g peasant bacon (or smoked bacon)
2 red onions
40 g butter

For the pretzel crumble

100 g butter
100 g hazelnut powder
100 g flour
40 g sugar
100 g dry pretzels (available in shops )

Steps for sweetbreads, peas and pretzels

Sweetbreads (the day before): soak the sweetbreads in water and refrigerate for at least 12 h to remove any residual blood.
On the big day, blanch them in water over low heat until they boil, then cool them quickly by running cold water over them.
Peel the sweetbreads to remove the remaining membrane, salt and flour them, then pat them well to remove the excess flour.
Start cooking in a frying pan with a mixture of oil and butter, add the sweetbreads and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, basting well. For crispy sweetbreads, cook with flour and butter at the last minute. Finish with a lemon zest on the sweetbreads (this will add freshness to the dish and lighten it up...).
French peas: Cook the peas in salted water for 8 to 10 minutes, checking before removing. They should remain crunchy, but not too crunchy. Cut the red onions into thin wedges, sauté in the oil, add the bacon and, when the onions are almost cooked, add the lettuce, sliced and washed beforehand. Sauté quickly.
Pretzel crumble: place all the ingredients in a bowl or mixer pan and mix by hand or with a sheet of paper. Bake at 170°C for approx. 15 min.
Arrange the peas in the center of the plate. Place the sweetbreads on top, with pieces of crumble around them. You can also add pea shoots. Pour a spoonful of the cooking butter around the peas.