Tendrons de Veau

Instructions

1. Understand what you are cooking: the tendrons (gristles) lie under the flesh of the brisket of a breast of veal. Long stewing makes them perfectly tender and yields a large amount of gelatine, but they are quite devoid of flavour, so they must be cooked and served with additions that render them palatable.
2. With a very sharp knife detach the flesh from them without separating it from the joint, and turn it back, so the gristles can be divided easily from the long bones.
3. Cut away the chine-bone from their outer edge.
4. Soak them, so that they may be very white.
5. Boil them gently for several hours, either quite simply in good broth, or with additions of bacon, spice and vegetables.
6. Alternatively, divide them at the joints and cut them obliquely into thin slices before stewing, when they will require only four hours' simmering.
7. Or leave them entire and braise them; they will then need to be pressed, while still warm, between two dishes with a heavy weight on top, to bring them into good shape before they are divided for table.
8. To finish, choose one of Acton's ways: dip them into egg and bread-crumbs and fry them in thin slices of uniform size; or stew them tender, drain them well, glaze them, dish them in a circle and serve with peas a la Francaise in the centre, or with a thick puree of tomatas or other vegetables; or use them to fill vol-au-vents, for which they must be kept very white and mixed with a good bechamel sauce.
9. Acton's own recommendation: have them highly curried, either with plenty of vegetables or with a portion of other meat, after they have been baked or stewed as tender as possible.
10. On economy: foreign cooks braise them somewhat expensively and serve them in many forms, but as they make, after all, a rather unpretending entree, some economy in their preparation is generally desirable.