Eckart Witzigmanns recipes: Délice de ris de veau Rumohr

Eckart Witzigmann's culinary Notes

Délice de ris de veau Rumohr

Let the sweetbread soak in cold water for about 2 hours until it is completely white. Add some lemon juice in cold water, bring to the boil slowly and then leave to stand for ten minutes. Cool the sweetbread rapidly in cold water and remove all traces of the exterior membrane. Press between two plates with a heavy weight on top and leave overnight.

Cut the sweetbread into 50g pieces and season with salt, white pepper and lemon juice. Boil the leeks in boiling salted water for about 1 minute, cool rapidly in iced water and dry them well in a cloth. Thicken the double cream by boiling until it becomes viscous; add the leeks that have just been dried and vigorously boil off the liquid. Remove from the hob, bind with egg yolk, season to taste and allow to cool.

Brush the truffles under running water, pat them dry with a cloth and cut them into 1cm slices. Pour them into a sauteuse with the Madeira, steam for about 3 minutes and leave to cool. Decant off the liquid and place the stock on one side to use in the sauce.

Cut the goose liver into slices – as near as possible in shape as the sweetbread - and sauté both sides in a little clarified butter, remove from the pan and sprinkle with cognac and lightly season.

For each serving spread butter onto two sheets of phyllo dough, place one on top of the other on a cloth and cut into 20cm squares. For each serving cover with two slices of Parma ham placed close to the sides. Place the sweetbreads, truffle slices and goose liver on top and then place the leeks around the outside. Fold the ham over the top and with the aid of a cloth fold the dough twice around the filling (like in a strudel); cut off any excess dough and coat the ends with whisked egg yolk. Bake the sweetbread parcel for 35 minutes on a greased baking tray in an oven preheated to 200°C.

For the sauce blanch the leeks, cool them rapidly and then dry them. Reduce the poultry stock with Noilly Prat, half the champagne, the green peppercorns and the shallot until the liquid has become viscous. Add the double cream and allow every thing to cook until it again becomes quite viscous.

In the meantime briefly sauté the strips of leek in butter and then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pass the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, bring to the boil again, add the remaining champagne and add the pieces of cold butter to the sauce. Add the truffle stock, a dash of lemon juice or some spicy cayenne pepper according to taste.

Serve the leeks and the sauce on a warm plate. Divide the sweetbread parcel into portions and serve on top of the leeks and sauce.

With the greatest of pleasure
Eckart Witzigmann