Blanquette de VeauVeal Blanquette

Prepare the veal and aromatic vegetables

• 1 Cut 800 g veal shoulder into 3–4 cm cubes and pat dry with paper towels.
• 2 Peel 2 carrots and cut into irregular chunks.
• 3 Peel 1 onion and stud it with 3 cloves.
• 4 Use only the white part of 1 leek, cut into 4 cm lengths, and rinse any soil from the base.
• 5 Gather 2 thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf and 3 parsley stems and tie with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni, a bundle of herbs.
• 6 Peel 200 g pearl onions.
• 7 Trim the stem bases from 250 g mushrooms and halve any large ones.

Blanch and rinse the veal

• 1 Put the veal in a pot, cover with water and place over high heat.
• 2 Once boiling, cook for 2–3 minutes; when cloudy gray foam covers the surface, drain into a colander.
• 3 Rinse the meat and pot thoroughly under running water to wash away all the cloudy white scum.

Bring the veal and vegetables to a simmer

• 1 Return the veal to the washed pot and pour in 1.2 L water or chicken stock, enough to cover.
• 2 Add the carrots, clove-studded onion, leek, bouquet garni and 1 tsp salt; heat over medium heat and skim off the scum that rises once it starts to simmer.

Simmer the veal until tender

• 1 Reduce the heat to low, cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, keeping the surface gently trembling.
• 2 Skim off scum during cooking.

Cook the pearl onions and mushrooms without browning

• 1 Meanwhile(While the veal simmers.) Cook the pearl onions and mushrooms without browning.
• 2 Melt 20 g butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the pearl onions, 50 ml water and 5 ml lemon juice, cover and cook over low heat for 8–10 minutes without browning.
• 3 Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes; turn off the heat when a little of the liquid has evaporated.

Separate the veal and stock

• 1 Lift out the veal and remove the carrots, onion, leek and bouquet garni.
• 2 Strain the cooking liquid through a strainer and reserve it as stock.

Make a velouté sauce with the stock

• 1 Melt 30 g butter in the same pot over low heat. Add 40 g cake flour and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
• 2 Add the reserved stock a little at a time, stirring well after each addition to make a smooth sauce, then reduce over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
• 3 Turn off the heat when the sauce leaves a thin film on the back of a wooden spoon.

Reheat the ingredients in the sauce

• 1 Return the veal and the pale-cooked pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot and warm over low heat.
• 2 Do not bring to a boil.

Thicken with the egg-yolk and cream liaison

• 1 Mix 2 egg yolks and 150 ml heavy cream thoroughly in a bowl.
• 2 Take 1 ladle of cooking liquid from the pot and gradually stir it into the egg mixture to bring the temperatures closer together.
• 3 With the heat off, return the egg mixture to the pot. Place over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to thicken. Never let it boil: boiling causes the egg to separate and become grainy.
• 4 Season with 10 ml lemon juice, 2 pinches white pepper and salt, then scatter with finely chopped parsley.