Veal in White Sauce - Blanquette de Veau

A few weeks ago we received a beautiful 3 pound piece of veal from North Mountain Pastures, our meat CSA. The beauty of CSAs is that you never know what you are going to get which, if you receive a piece of meat or a vegetable you are not familiar with, forces you to explore new recipes and experiment in the kitchen. I digress.  I had never made veal before – in fact I had only eaten it once in my life – so I was not sure what to make with it. I perused my cooking book library and found several veal recipes that looked appetizing. However, I settled for one that had a wine creamy sauce… I love wine and cream.

The next day I went grocery shopping. Once home, I gathered all the ingredients and started cooking. Few hours later – the veal takes several hours to cook – we had a delicious French dinner. I don’t mean to sound pretentious but the dish was wonderful – the veal very tender and the sauce complimented the meat and vegetables perfectly. My husband loved it. In fact he had a second serving and ate it for lunch the following day. Although this recipe was time consuming, it was really easy to make.

If you like veal, believe me, you can easily make it at home. It will be cheaper and very, very good. Give this recipe a try.

Blanquette de Veau – Veal in White Sauce

Serves 6

Adapted from France The Beautiful Cookbook

Ingredients:

3 lb veal (shoulder & on the bone)

1 white onion

2 cloves

Bouquet garni (1 bay leaf; 1 spring thyme, 6 springs parsley; 2 celery stalks; white part of 1 leek)

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 4 chunks

¾ cup dry white wine

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

4 pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

To garnish:

45 pearl onions (you can find them in the frozen section)

8 oz. mushrooms (washed and quartered)

2 oz. butter

6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

Directions

1. Peel the onion and stud with cloves. Tie together the herbs for the bouquet garni. Place the meat in a Dutch oven and add the carrot, onion and bouquet garni. Pour in the wine and water just to cover. Bring to boil, skimming the surface (brown foam) for the first 10 minutes., then cover and simmer very gently for 2 ½ hours.

2. About 45 minutes before the meat is ready, prepare the garnish. Melt half the butter in a non-stick skillet and cook the onions until golden. Add the water, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until tender.  Melt the remaining butter in a second skillet and add the mushroom and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are golden and no longer give out any liquid. Add to the onions and keep warm.

3. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plated.

4. Strain the cooking liquid that is the Dutch over. Pour back in and boil over high heat until reduced to about 1 cup. In a bowl beat the cream and the egg yolks. Blend in 3 tablespoons of the hot stock. Return to Dutch Oven and cook stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk the sauce to a smooth, velvety consistency. Add the nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and whisk for 30 seconds longer.

5. Transfer the meat to a serving plate. Surround with vegetables. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve.

Note: the next time I make it, I will add more mushrooms and one more carrot.