"I learned to prepare them with my grandmother and great-aunts, who were cooks in bourgeois households," says this chef who hails from southwestern France.

For Alain Dutournier, calf's head is distinguished by the "charm of its gelatinous texture and its simple flavor that calls for a great richness of condiments."

Calf's sweetbreads are noble products with "rare flavor, creamy texture and exceptional smoothness on the palate." Kidneys, whether from veal or lamb, are heirs to the great French gastronomic tradition and always provide "a pleasant surprise when paired with a cooking method well-suited to them." Kidneys are a continuous source of inspiration to Dutournier. At home, he grills, as his mother did, skewers of kidney and calf's liver interspersed with strips of aged ham and seasoned at the last minute with coarse freshly-ground pepper. He also serves a casserole of calf's sweetbreads in a seasoned jus with oysters and slices of charcoal-grilled veal kidney, accompanied by macaroni with truffles. Tripe is cut into small dice and cooked with calf's head, feet and tongue. Suckling lamb's caul is prepared with the finely diced heart, liver and lungs, the white part of leeks, wild thyme and onion, all bound with the blood of the suckling lamb.

"True, showing off tripe products to their best advantage requires imagination… and work. But what a pleasure to prepare and enjoy a calf's foot galette!"

Milk-Fed Calf's Liver with Truffled Macaroni, Cress and Cauliflower Gratin