A historical flour-free thickener for invalid food: soaked and blanched calf's brain is cooked down completely with 60 g of butter, packed into jars under melted butter and used to thicken soups and sauces when flour is not tolerated.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 669 (falt i det fri)
The advice appears in the section on diet where flour and sugar must be omitted. When flour cannot be used to thicken soups and sauces, Erken recommends egg yolks or – as here – a preserved mass of cooked-down calf's brain, kept in jars under a layer of melted butter (the same principle as with preserved forcemeats). Instead of potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes or stachys are used.
Soak the brain
Place the calf's brain in cold water for a couple of hours, changing the water a few times, and remove membranes and blood vessels.
Blanch
Place the brain in lightly salted, boiling water for a few minutes until firm. Take it out and let it drain.
Cook down with butter
Cook the brain together with 60 g of butter until it is completely cooked down and collapses into a smooth mass.
Pack into jars
Fill the mass into clean jars, pour melted butter over so it becomes airtight, cover with paper and store cold.
Use
Use a spoonful of the mass to thicken soups and sauces for the invalid, instead of flour.
The amount of calf's brain is not given in the original; here estimated at one brain (about 400 g). Soaking and blanching are described with modern times. Note: this is a historical recipe – calf brain is not used in modern diets for food-safety reasons.
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.
Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
Smør
Product data and prices via Kassalapp. Prices are updated daily and may vary.
Note on Modernised
Mengde kalvehjerne er ikke opgit i originalen; her anslaatt til én hjerne (ca. 400 g). Utvanning og forvelling er beskrevet med moderne tider. Merk: dette er en historisk oppskrift — hjernemat fra kalv brukes ikke i moderne kosthold av mattrygghetsgrunner.
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