Offal Appetizers

[Peter the eater]

I'll eat just about anything once.

I generally enjoy the unusual textures and flavors of the various organ meats and neglected bits from our food animals. Many of these items, I suspect, are best served in small portions.

Below is what I brought to my Darts League Year-end Potluck on the weekend: lamb tongue and sweetbreads on a toothpick with a half grape tomato and home-made mint sauce. It didn't go over very well, although I thought it was rather awesome.

Any good examples out there?

[Teddy Devico]

This is very simple but maybe roasted bone marrow on toast with sea salt and black pepper

[Peter the eater]

This is very simple but maybe roasted bone marrow on toast with sea salt and black pepper

Love it, great example. Made it a few weeks ago with roasted veggies:

[jenc]

The Black Hoof in Toronto is an especially good place for offal. But Toronto's in a chacuterie/offal type faze right now.

Butter-poached brains from The Black Hoof

Bone marrow from The Hoof Café

Fried coxcomb from The Black Hoof

Head cheese (and other other piggy bits) from Earth

Edited June 15, 2010 by jenc (log)

[Dakki]

I generally enjoy the unusual textures and flavors of the various organ meats and neglected bits from our food animals. Many of these items, I suspect, are best served in small portions.

Sorry man offal should be consumed in mass quantities.

And here's my pic. Tacos de molleja (sweetbread).

[Peter the eater]

Jenc, those images are excellent. Would those be calf brains, like cervelle?

Sorry man offal should be consumed in mass quantities.

Perhaps, but wouldn't a 22oz rib-eye would go down more easily than a 22oz kidney? Love those tacos.

[BPBNY]

At my restaurant for a first course I serve Carrot soup with crispy veal sweetbreads and pickled ramps. Its quite good. Ill shoot a picture later.

[heidih]

As we have discussed before in topics about retro foods, I think rumaki qualifies as offal that pleases across generations and tastes. Generally chicken or duck liver marinated in a sweetened ginger soy sauce mix. Chunk of liver, slice of water chesnut, wrapped in bacon, toothpicked and broiled till crispy. People who would not touch a liver entree sneak more than their fair share.

[jenc]

Jenc, those images are excellent. Would those be calf brains, like cervelle?

Thanks Peter! I believe those are indeed, calf brains.

Also, I forgot to mention: chicken hearts! Grilled with some Soy/Teriyaki mix.

good stuff.

[ChickenStu]

Sorry man offal should be consumed in mass quantities.

Perhaps, but wouldn't a 22oz rib-eye would go down more easily than a 22oz kidney?

Yes. I was one of very few in my culinary school class that would even try kidneys, I really enjoyed them, but small quantities are much better.

My favorite offal is sweetbreads, fried, roasted, braised...it all works for me.

Just picked some up from ottomanellis a few days ago, should be done pressing tomorrow. Its kind of hard to eat an entire heart lobe sweetbread by yourself, I will have to find someone to share with.

[nakji]

I love steak-and-kidney pie, where the kidney works together with the steak to give good flavour and texture. I haven't had one in ages, though.

[ChefCrash]

mmm... brains? This is a preparation we had last year at the Al Mazar restaurant in Beirut. Sauteed in clarified butter and roasted. In the background, raw lamb liver and tail fat.

Brain close-up

How do we know it was an appetizer? This was the main course .

Same summer

Lungs, liver, spleen and sweetbreads kit:

[Nicholas Ellan]

Sauteed chicken livers over crusty slices of bread, with a brown butter, sage & lemon sauce is a fixture at my house. It's dirt cheap and we can never get enough. Duck livers or rabbit livers are also great.

[Peter the eater]

ChefCrash, those items are spectacular, thanks.

About the LLSS kit, is there much chopping away, srcaping or soaking? I don't see a trachea cooking but the stuff on the skewer looks fairly as-is.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Hure de cochonnet á la Parisienne

Stuffed shoat's head.

[KatieLoeb]

The Mollejas al Champagne I enjoyed at Restaurante Palacio Espanol in Buenos Aires were pretty awesome.

Sweetbreads, shrimp and mushrooms in a Champagne Cream sauce. Best Surf and Turf ever! I wonder if it couldn't be recreated on a skewer or toothpick for hors d'oeuvres? It would certainly make a delicious appetizer in a smaller portion than I had. In fact, it's so rich it might be better enjoyed that way!

On a side note, Palacio Espanol is one of the prettiest restaurants I've ever dined in.

One forgets how nice it is to dine properly - with uniformed tailcoat wearing waiters, exquisite surroundings, fine china and crystal, impeccable service and well dressed patrons. A bit too formal for everyday, but a welcome experience when one makes a conscious choice to do so. It's civilizing to do that once in a while.

Edited June 21, 2010 by KatieLoeb (log)