To Dress Beef Kidney II is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of beef kidney that's sliced, fried in the kidney fat and served with gravy flavoured with sherry and thickened with plain flour. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To Dress Beef Kidney II.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
TO DRESS BEEF KIDNEY.
II.
633. INGREDIENTS.—1 kidney, 1 dessertspoonful of minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful of minced shalot, salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 pint of gravy, No. 438, 3 tablespoonfuls of sherry.
Mode.—Take off a little of the kidney fat, mince it very fine, and put it in a frying-pan; slice the kidney, sprinkle over it parsley and shalots in the above proportion, add a seasoning of pepper and salt, and fry it of a nice brown. When it is done enough, dredge over a little flour, and pour in the gravy and sherry. Let it just simmer, but not boil any more, or the kidney would harden; serve very hot, and garnish with croûtons. Where the flavour of the shalot is disliked, it may be omitted, and a small quantity of savoury herbs substituted for it.
Time.—From 5 to 10 minutes, according to the thickness of the slices.
Average cost, 9d. each. Sufficient for 3 persons.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 beef kidney
1 desert spoon parsley, minced
1 tsp shallot, minced
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp plain flour
150ml gravy No. 438
3 tbsp sherry
Method:
Remove the fat from around the kidney and mince some of it very finely. Core the kidney and cut into slices. Place the minced fat in a frying pan and melt. When hot, combine the kidney pieces with the parsley and minced shallot then season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Fry in the melted fat until well browned all over then scatter the flour over the top. Add the gravy and sherry, bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes, or until the gravy has thickened. Turn into a serving bowl, garnish with fried bread croutons and serve.
