French
Blanquette de Veau
Tender veal, pearl onions, and mushrooms are suspended in a luminous lemon-scented cream sauce finished with an egg-yolk liaison.
6 servings · 35 minutes prep · 130 minutes cook
Ingredients
Veal and broth
- 2 1/2 lb veal shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 6 cups cold water
- 1 yellow onion, halved
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek
- 1 celery stalk
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Garnish and sauce
- 12 oz pearl onions, peeled
- 12 oz button mushrooms, quartered
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Directions
Poach the veal
- Cover veal shoulder with water in a Dutch oven and bring slowly to a bare simmer, skimming thoroughly. Add yellow onion, carrot, leek, celery rib, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and kosher salt. Simmer gently until the veal is tender, 75-95 minutes.
- Strain, reserving 3 cups broth. Keep the veal covered and warm; discard the spent aromatics.
Cook the garnishes
- Melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add pearl onions with a splash of reserved broth, cover, and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Add button mushrooms and cook uncovered until their liquid evaporates, 6-8 minutes.
Finish without boiling
- Melt the remaining unsalted butter in the Dutch oven, whisk in all purpose flour, and cook without coloring for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 3 cups reserved broth and simmer until lightly thickened, 8 minutes.
- Whisk heavy cream with egg yolks. Temper with 1 cup hot sauce, then return it to the pot over low heat. Add veal, onions, mushrooms, lemon juice, and white pepper; stir constantly just until the sauce reaches {{temperature:160F}} to {{temperature:165F}} and lightly nappes a spoon. Do not simmer or boil.
