French Classics Made Easy (34 page)

NOTE

Although in most of my cooking, and in nearly every meat dish, I seek ways of reducing or omitting unnecessary fat, this is a place where the fat in the meat is absolutely necessary. Chuck, which is the meat called for here, is marbled with fat, which essentially bastes the meat from the inside as it cooks. Many people make the mistake of substituting beef round for the chuck because it contains less fat. I advise against doing so.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Start with an artichoke vinaigrette and serve Lime Mousse (
page 276
) for dessert. Don’t forget French bread to mop up the sauce.

WINE

Serve a Pinot Noir or red Burgundy.

VEAL MEDALLIONS
WITH SAUTEED ROOT VEGETABLES

[MÉDAILLONS DE VEAU À LA BRUNOISE]

In French cooking, a
brunoise
is a combination of finely diced aromatic vegetables—usually carrots, onions, celery (both root and rib), white turnips, and leeks—used to give flavor to soups and sauces. (It is similar to a
mirepoix
; see Artichokes Barigoule,
page 173
.) Ordinarily, a
brunoise
is used in relatively small quantities. But the effort involved in preparing a
brunoise
has always seemed out of proportion to me, so in this dish I use the
brunoise
not only to enhance the flavor of the sauce, but as the accompanying vegetables as well.

SERVES 6

2 tablespoons butter

3 large carrots, diced

3 onions, diced

3 ribs celery, diced

1 white turnip, peeled and diced (optional; see Note)

1 leek (white part only), washed and diced (optional; see Note)

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pinch of thyme leaves

6 veal medallions (boned rib chops),

1 to 1¼ inches thick

2 medium (¾-inch) black truffles (optional; see step 5), 1 diced and 1 sliced

¼ teaspoon arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water

1 teaspoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

2 tablespoons Madeira

1 tablespoon Cognac

3 sprigs parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional; see step 5)

1.
In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the diced vegetables and cook until just tender and lightly colored, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

2.
Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the pan. Add the veal and cook over medium-high heat until brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour off any excess butter.

3.
Spread the cooked vegetables and diced truffle (if using) over the veal, cover, and cook over low heat until the veal is firm to the touch, 12 to 15 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, remove the veal and vegetables and arrange on a serving platter (see Serving Suggestion,
page 152
). Keep warm in a 250°F oven.

4.
Add the dissolved arrowroot to the pan to lightly thicken the pan juices. Stir in the meat glaze (if using), Madeira, and Cognac. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

5.
To serve: Spoon the light sauce over the veal and top each medallion with a slice of truffle, if using. If not using a truffle, sprinkle the chopped parsley over the vegetables and serve.

NOTE

Although the turnip and leek are technically part of a
brunoise,
they can be left out with no ill effect. A classic
brunoise
also includes celery root (celeriac). If you can find it in your market, use a chunk of celery root about the size of a white turnip and dice as for the other vegetables.

SERVING SUGGESTION

I normally present the vegetables mounded in the center of a large, round platter with the medallions set around them in a circle. If a round platter is not available, I place the medallions down the center of an oval platter, and spoon the vegetables on either side of them. Serve the veal with buttered noodles or sautéed potatoes. Begin the meal with asparagus or a green salad and end with Floating Island with Raspberry Sauce (
page 274
).

WINE

Serve this with a red Bordeaux.

VARIATIONS

V
EAL
C
HOPS WITH
S
AUTEED
R
OOT
V
EGETABLES

[CÔTES DE VEAU À LA BRUNOISE]

Substitute 1¼-inch-thick veal chops for the medallions and cook about 15 minutes in step 3.

P
ROFESSIONAL
-S
TYLE
R
ANGES

The use of professional-style ranges in homes has become popular and I am often asked for my opinion on their use. If you are regularly cooking for 12 or more, a professional-style range will definitely make your task easier, and even though it takes more time to clean than a normal home range does, it will be worth it. However, if you regularly cook for fewer than eight, you will find the burners of a professional-style range too large for your pots, the heat produced too much for your kitchen, and the added cleaning not worth the effort.

P
ORK
M
EDALLIONS WITH
S
AUTEED
R
OOT
V
EGETABLES

[MÉDAILLONS DE PORCÀ LA BRUNOISE]

Substitute medallions of pork (boneless center-cut rib chops) and omit the truffles.

C
HICKEN
B
REASTS WITH
S
AUTEED
R
OOT
V
EGETABLES

[SUPRÊMES DE VOLAILLEÀ LA BRUNOISE]

Substitute 6 boneless chicken half breasts (about 2 pounds), and cook 10 to 20 minutes in step 3.

VEAL SCALLOPS
WITH MUSHROOMS AND TOMATO SAUCE

[ESCALOPES DE VEAU CHASSEUR]

When you see a dish called
chasseur
(which means “hunter”) in France, you know right away that it will contain mushrooms. For this
chasseur,
I use wild mushrooms in place of the usual white mushrooms. Normally, the veal would be floured before being sautéed in a preparation like this one. Unless browned quickly, however, the flour becomes pasty and unappetizing, so it has been omitted.

SERVES 4

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound veal scallops

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ pound fresh shiitake (see Note) or porcini mushrooms, washed, dried, and sliced

2 shallots, finely chopped

¼ cup dry white wine

½ cup beef stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

1 teaspoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon Cognac

3 sprigs parsley, chopped, for garnish

1.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high to high heat. Add the veal and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Season with the salt and pepper. Transfer the veal to a platter and keep warm.

2.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots and cook for 20 to 30 seconds.

3.
Add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, meat glaze (if using), and tomato paste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Add the Cognac. To serve: Pour the sauce over the veal. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

NOTE

The stems of shiitake mushrooms are not edible. Discard them (or save them for broth) before slicing the caps.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Begin with a green vegetable or salad and accompany the veal with Rice Pilaf (
page 207
) or buttered noodles. Serve fresh fruit for dessert.

WINE

Serve this with a dry red.

CREAMY VEAL STEW
WITH MORELS

[BLANQUETTE DE VEAU AUX MORILLES]

A blanquette is a
ragoût
made in a white sauce enriched with heavy cream and egg yolks. (Although it is usually made with veal, recipes exist for
blanquettes
made with chicken, lamb, or fish.) A
blanquette de veau
normally contains small white mushrooms, but I make mine with dried
morilles
(morels). These wild mushrooms, prized in France for their unique robust and earthy flavor, transform the
blanquette
of the bistro into one for the palace.

SERVES 6

1 ounce dried or ⅓ to ½ pound fresh morel mushrooms (see Note)

8 cups cold water

3 pounds veal shoulder, cut into 1½-inch cubes

1 onion, studded with 2 cloves 1 large carrot

2 leeks, washed

1 turnip, peeled

2 celery ribs, with leaves if possible Bouquet Garni (
page 306
)

24 pearl onions, peeled, root ends trimmed but left intact to hold the onions together

2½ tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 egg yolks

⅓ cup heavy cream

1.
Place the dried morels in a small bowl, cover with 2 cups of the cold water, and let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Remove the morels and squeeze gently to remove as much liquid as possible. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or paper towel to separate any dirt or sand from the liquid; set aside.

2.
Place the veal in a stockpot and add cold water to cover (about 6 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the foam from the surface frequently.

3.
Add the reserved morel soaking liquid, the clove-studded onion, the carrot, leeks, turnip, celery, and bouquet garni. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

4.
Add the pearl onions and simmer for 35 minutes more.

5.
Add the morels; continue to cook until the veal is tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

6.
Drain the meat and vegetables, reserving the stock. Put the veal, pearl onions, and morels in a large saucepan. Discard the other vegetables and bouquet garni.

7.
Strain the reserved veal stock into a medium-size saucepan and boil over high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.

8.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is pale yellow and frothy, 30 to 40 seconds. Add 2½ cups of the reduced veal stock and stir well with a whisk until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and season the sauce with the salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds. Simmer gently, whisking the sauce from time to time, until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Skim off any butter that comes to the surface.

9.
Reduce the remaining ½ cup of reserved veal stock over high heat until only a few teaspoons remain and whisk into the sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat.