Blanquette de Veau (Creamy French Veal Stew) tender and tasty

Name: Blanquette de Veau (Creamy French Veal Stew)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 135 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3.25 lb (1.5 kg) veal shoulder from a farm-raised animal (about 18 pieces of 2.5 oz (70 g) each); 3 veal tendrons cut in half (for flavor); 5.25 oz (150 g) carrots and 2 onions cut into mirepoix (small cubes); 2 cloves garlic, germ removed and crushed; 1 bouquet garni; 3.5 oz (100 g) good quality half-salted butter; For the garnish:; 8.75 oz (250 g) button mushrooms (small); 7 oz (200 g) small onions (pearl onions); For the sauce liaison:; 0.6 cup (15 cl) liquid cream (30%); 1 untreated lemon juice; 2.8 oz (80 g) farm butter; 2.8 oz (80 g) flour; 3 egg yolks

A recipe by Michelin-starred Chef Patrick Asfaux 4.89/5 (193 reviews) · 🍳 181 made it

Blanquette de Veau (Creamy French Veal Stew), indulgent and flavorful — Photo : Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 45 min

Cook 90 min

Total 2h15

Servings 6 serv.

Normally in the original veal blanquette recipe, the pieces are plunged into cold water and cooked with their vegetables because, indeed, this recipe was created at a time when meat traveled without refrigeration and had to be washed thoroughly before use. But that's no longer the case, so I'm going to give you my version, tested many times over, and you'll let me know what you think!

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

3.25 lb (1.5 kg) veal shoulder from a farm-raised animal (about 18 pieces of 2.5 oz (70 g) each)
3 veal tendrons cut in half (for flavor)
5.25 oz (150 g) carrots and 2 onions cut into mirepoix (small cubes)
2 cloves garlic, germ removed and crushed
1 bouquet garni
3.5 oz (100 g) good quality half-salted butter

For the garnish:

8.75 oz (250 g) button mushrooms (small)
7 oz (200 g) small onions (pearl onions)

For the sauce liaison:

0.6 cup (15 cl) liquid cream (30%)
1 untreated lemon juice
2.8 oz (80 g) farm butter
2.8 oz (80 g) flour
3 egg yolks

Step-by-step recipe

1 In a casserole dish, melt the butter, add the mirepoix, garlic cloves and bouquet garni. Let sweat covered for 5 minutes, then add the meat, season with salt and pepper (freshly ground pepper) and let sweat gently covered for 10 minutes.

2 You'll start smelling wonderful aromas in your kitchen. At this point, add water until the meat is covered. Once boiling, taste and adjust seasoning, then cook for 1 hour covered, skimming off impurities with a small ladle or skimmer (skim) from time to time.

3 While it's cooking, prepare your garnish: clean your mushrooms, rinse them quickly, peel the small onions then place them (mushrooms and onions) with butter in a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently covered for 15 minutes without browning.

4 Remove the meat pieces (drain) and bouquet garni, then blend the cooking liquid with all the vegetables and pass through a chinois strainer (fine sieve).

5 In the same cleaned casserole, melt the 2.8 oz (80 g) of butter and add the flour while stirring (make a white roux). Cook briefly (2 minutes) then slowly pour the strained blanquette liquid over it, setting aside half of it (for cooking the rice).

6 Add the veal pieces, the garnish with its cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

7 In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, cream and lemon juice together, then while stirring quickly, add 2 ladles of boiling sauce. Stir well and pour this mixture back into the blanquette. Caution: do this operation just before serving as the sauce must not boil anymore (because of the eggs setting).

8 Serve with cooked green asparagus tips or 14 oz (400 g) peas with spinach leaves. You can also moisten this blanquette with coconut milk. The ultimate version would be the addition of morels sautéed in cream with a touch of minced shallots, which would elevate this veal blanquette to a truly royal dish.

A chef's advice

Veal blanquette is 19th century bourgeois cooking, the kind you found in all the classic Parisian restaurants. It's been coming back into fashion over the past few years because chefs are rediscovering that properly prepared white meat is never heavy. It's really more of an autumn and winter dish, when pearl onions are at their best and button mushrooms are at their most flavorful. Shoulder meat gelatinizes when cooked slowly, which gives body to the sauce without unnecessary fat. Nothing like a heavy blanquette where everything floats in cream. You can also serve it with boiled potatoes or a puree, but pilaw rice is the classic version. Don't forget the bouquet garni during cooking: a bay leaf, thyme and parsley. That's the foundation.

Frequently asked questions

Why do you need to skim the blanquette during cooking?

Skimming removes the impurities and proteins that rise to the surface. It keeps the broth clear and the sauce smooth. Without it, you'll have a cloudy sauce with particles floating in it. Do it every 10 minutes throughout the hour of cooking.

Can you replace the liquid cream with milk or yogurt?

Skimmed milk works but the sauce will be thin. Prefer cream at 30% minimum or a half milk, half cream mixture. Yogurt would curdle with heat. The egg yolk liaison alone would work, but cream gives velvety texture. It's a matter of taste.

How long does blanquette of veal keep in the fridge?

Three days when properly stored in an airtight container. The sauce will gel when cold (normal, that's the collagen from the veal). Reheat gently for 15 minutes over a water bath or very low heat, don't rush it. It freezes well for 2 months, sauce and meat together.