More Cooking

We started today with the second quiz. I thought this one was easier than the last one. We had to name the primals of veal, pork, and lamb, and then there were some other fill-in-the-blank questions. I think I might have gotten at least a B. I wasn't sure the exact names of some of the primals.
We got to do more cooking today. Rico and I partnered again. Since I had screwed up our lamb shank, Chef let us use his. This was so good. We braised the lamb (dredged in seasoned flour), and then removed it, browned mire poix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery), deglazed the pan with red wine, put back the lamb, and then fill the pot 2/3 of the way with stock. It went in the oven for 1.5 hours, but was turned at 45 minutes. Then we strained the pot, depouillage the liquid (remove impurities), and then reduced the liquid to sauce consistency. Monte au bur (end with butter), then coat the lamb shank with the liquid and present to chef. Our liquid was a little loose but I would have drank the sauce... Seriously.
Then we cooked livers and sweetbreads. As in, the thymus gland of veal. Yum.
Liver:
Brown onions - this will take a really long time. Set over very low heat, add water so it doesn't stick to the pan, and then turn occassionally.
Render bacon, then remove from pan.
Dredge liver in seasoned flour, then brown in pan, remove when rare
Add 1 T brown sugar and 1 T Dijon mustard, dissolve off heat.
Add 3 oz cider vinegar to pan, then add 3 oz stock to taste.
Put liver back, and reduce sauce
Browned onions on plate, then plate liver and a little sauce. Top with bacon.
Show Chef, taste one bite, throw out the liver and eat some of the delicious onions until they start to taste like liver and then throw out as well.
Sauteed Sweetbread
I didn't watch Rico make this, so I'm not sure exactly how it's made, but I think you dredge the sweetbread in seasoned flour, then braise in clarified butter until done. I made a side salad of celery hearts, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. This will make a delicious salad after you throw out the sampled sweetbread you showed Chef. Somehow, the one Rico made me was perfectly done, but the one she made for herself was still a little rare. Whoops. Rico liked it, and I thought the flavor was fine, but I couldn't get over what it was...
Class was hectic, due to all the cooking, but it was fun. T., Nemo, Rico, and I went out after - the double T bought me was too strong, which turned me off for drinking the rest of the night. I think I might need to stop drinking rum&cokes for a little while...maybe I'll switch back to raspberry stolis and sprite... Any other recommendations?
Really wish I had remembered my camera, because these would have made really good photos - I used real plates and everything!

Lessons learned:
It's good to sample everything, but sometimes, one can't get over knowing what body part something actually is...