Long Table Veal Blanquette
Veal slowly simmered in an aromatic broth, bound with a white cream sauce enriched with egg yolk and lemon juice, served with rice or potatoes. A tender, generous dish designed for a long table.
Veal slowly simmered in an aromatic broth, bound with a white cream sauce enriched with egg yolk and lemon juice, served with rice or potatoes. A tender, generous dish designed for a long table.
When the table had to be long and the evening even longer, the blanquette was simmered from morning. I insisted that the meat cook without ever boiling vigorously—it must be treated with the consideration owed to all living things. At the last moment, the liaison with egg and lemon: a precise gesture, almost an alchemical operation, that must not curdle. Serve by the ladle, pass the wine, and let everyone stay at the table as long as needed for the unexpected to arise.
- •Veal shoulder — a nice piece (stew meat)
- •Carrot, onion studded with clove, leek — to taste (aromatic broth)
- •Butter and flour — equal parts (white roux)
- •Cream and egg yolks — a few (liaison)
- •Lemon — juice of (final acidity)
- •Mushrooms — a handful (umami garnish)
Long Table Veal Blanquette
Veal slowly simmered in an aromatic broth, bound with a white cream sauce enriched with egg yolk and lemon juice, served with rice or potatoes. A tender, generous dish designed for a long table.
Why this dish? Breton loved shared meals at long friendly tables, remaining faithful to French habits even in exile. Blanquette, a stew served by the ladle that gathers the household, embodies those surrealist banquets where the world was remade between games.
When the table had to be long and the evening even longer, the blanquette was simmered from morning. I insisted that the meat cook without ever boiling vigorously—it must be treated with the consideration owed to all living things. At the last moment, the liaison with egg and lemon: a precise gesture, almost an alchemical operation, that must not curdle. Serve by the ladle, pass the wine, and let everyone stay at the table as long as needed for the unexpected to arise.
Ingredients (period version)
- Veal shoulder — a nice piece (stew meat)
- Carrot, onion studded with clove, leek — to taste (aromatic broth)
- Butter and flour — equal parts (white roux)
- Cream and egg yolks — a few (liaison)
- Lemon — juice of (final acidity)
- Mushrooms — a handful (umami garnish)
Ingredients
- Veal shoulder or breast — 1.2 kg (stew meat)
- Carrots — 2 (broth)
- Onion studded with 2 cloves — 1 (broth)
- Leek, bouquet garni — 1 / 1 (aromatic broth)
- Butter / flour — 40 g / 40 g (white roux)
- Crème fraîche — 20 cl (liaison)
- Egg yolks — 2 (liaison)
- Lemon juice — 1/2 lemon (final acidity)
- Button mushrooms — 250 g (umami garnish)
Method
- Place the veal in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, and skim thoroughly.
- Add carrots, clove-studded onion, leek, and bouquet garni; simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes without boiling hard.
- Sauté the mushrooms in butter separately and set aside.
- Make a white roux with butter and flour, then whisk in the strained broth to obtain a velvety sauce.
- Off the heat, bind with the mixture of cream, egg yolks, and lemon juice, without letting it boil.
- Combine veal, mushrooms, and sauce; serve by the ladle with rice, for a long table.
How it was made : Blanquette was the Sunday and holiday dish of French families and friend gatherings: long to simmer, it occupied the kitchen all morning. The final liaison with egg and lemon, delicate, marked the skill of the cook.
The contemporary twist : A ladle served in a single large bowl placed in the center, surrealist sharing style—each person serves themselves and the conversation circulates with the ladle.
André Breton · Charactorium