Makes: 10 portions. Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
— 20 prepared lamb kidneys cut in halves
— 2 dl melted butter or oil
— 6 dl demi-glace
— seasoning
Method:
(1) Heat a thick bottomed shallow sided pan and add the oil or melted butter to a depth of not more than 5 mm.
(2) Season and add the kidney pieces. Quickly shallow fry, keeping them on the underdone side. Drain in a colander and retain in a warm place.
(3) Return the pan to the stove, add the brown sauce and allow to boil for a few moments. Take off the boil, add the drained kidneys and season to taste.
(4) Neatly arrange in an earthenware dish and serve.
Assessment of the completed dish
(1) The sauce should be a rich brown color.
(2) The kidneys should be undercooked but not raw.
(3) The center core of the kidneys should have been removed.
Possible problem, cause and solution:
(1) Kidneys weep a fluid (protein) which solidifies and causes brown specks:
— fat was not hot enough before the kidneys were added.
— pan was overfilled.
— fat not allowed to recover heat once the kidneys have been added.
-> solution for above problems: Drain the kidneys at once. Heat some fat in a clean pan and begin to fry again but at higher temperature as some of the water will have been retained by the kidneys.
(2) Sauce contains small specks of coagulated protein from the kidneys:
— kidneys have been cooked at too low a temperature; ensure that the fat is hot enough to cook the kidneys quickly to avoid this problem which cannot be rectified later.
— kidneys have been held too long; this should be avoided as the kidneys will continue to cook in the sauce and the result cannot be rectified.
(3) Kidneys are tough and leathery:
— kidneys have been overcooked, care must be taken to avoid overcooking as this cannot be rectified.
— kidneys have been allowed to boil in the sauce; this should be avoided as the kidneys will overcook which cannot be rectified.