← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg Stewing veal (shoulder), cut into 5 cm chunks
• 1 Onion, peeled and studded with 2 cloves
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 Carrot, cut into thick chunks
• 1 Leek, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 stick Celery, halved
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 2 Bay leaves
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 1.2 l chicken or veal stock (or water)
• 50 g Butter
• 12 small shallots or pearl onions, peeled
• 250 g button mushrooms, halved if large
• 40 g Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 150 ml Crème fraîche
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ lemon, juiced
• salt and white pepper
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped

Method

1. Put the veal in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 min, then drain and rinse the meat under the tap; this washes off the grey scum and keeps the sauce pale.
2. Return the veal to the clean pot with the clove-studded onion, carrot, leek, celery, thyme and bay. Pour in the wine and enough stock to cover, add a little salt and bring to a bare simmer.
3. Cook with the lid ajar over low heat for 1½ hours, skimming now and then, until the veal is tender when pierced with a knife.
4. Meanwhile, melt 10 g of the butter in a frying pan with a ladle of the cooking liquid and cook the shallots for 10 min until tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 min more until the liquid has almost gone.
5. Lift the veal and carrots into a dish with a slotted spoon and strain the liquid; discard the other vegetables and herbs. In the empty pot, melt the remaining butter over medium heat, stir in the flour for 1 minute without browning, then whisk in about 750 ml of the liquid. Simmer for 10 min, whisking, until smooth and lightly thickened.
6. Whisk the crème fraîche, yolks and lemon juice in a bowl, then whisk in a ladle of the hot sauce. Pour it all back into the pot over the lowest heat and stir until it thickens a little more; do not let it boil or the yolks will curdle.
7. Return the veal, carrots, shallots and mushrooms, warm through gently, season with salt and white pepper and scatter with parsley. Serve with plain white rice.

Tips

• Stewing veal can be swapped for chicken thighs (simmer for 40 min, until 75°C/165°F inside) for a blanquette de poulet.
• It reheats well, but warm it slowly and never let it bubble.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

196 flavors BBC Good Food Great British Chefs