How to make a tender, flavorful stew
Which cuts to choose, why to brown the meat, how to cook it gently, and why a stew tastes even better the next day.
In seasonMain course
Blanquette de Veau
Tender veal, mushrooms, and carrots in a silky, lemony white sauce, the French family classic.
- Total time
- 1 h 50 min
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 h 20 min
Ingredients
For 6 servings
- 1 kgveal stew meat, cubed
- 250 gground veal
- 1.5 Lwater, cold
- 1onion
- 2whole cloves
- 2carrots, sliced
- 250 gbutton mushrooms
- 1 cubechicken stock cubes
- 1bouquet garni
- 30 gbutter
- or30 gmargarine
- 30 gall-purpose flour
- 1egg yolk
- 100 mlcrème fraîche
- ½lemon, for juice
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Method
Step 1
Put the cubed veal in a large pot and cover with the cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Step 2
Meanwhile, peel the onion and stud it with the cloves. Peel the carrots and slice them into rounds.
Step 3
As soon as the water boils, skim it: use a large spoon to remove the gray foam that rises to the surface, several times, until the broth is clear.
Step 4
Add the onion, carrots, bouillon cube, bouquet garni, and a little salt and pepper. Cover, leaving a small gap, and cook at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes, with small bubbles rising slowly.
45 min
Step 5
While it cooks, wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and quarter the larger ones. Shape the ground veal into cherry-sized meatballs.
Step 6
Add the mushrooms and meatballs and cook for 20 minutes more, until the veal is tender when pierced with a knife and the meatballs are cooked through.
20 min
Step 7
Drain everything in a colander set over a large bowl to save the broth. Discard the onion and bouquet garni, then return the meat and vegetables to the pot.
Step 8
Make a roux, the thickener for the sauce: melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat, add the flour, and whisk for 2 minutes, until foamy and barely golden.
2 min
Step 9
Gradually pour in 1 1/4 cups of the hot broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and coats a spoon.
5 min
Step 10
In a bowl, mix the egg yolk, cream, and juice of the half lemon. Off the heat, whisk this into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Step 11
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables and reheat over very low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until everything is steaming hot. Don’t let it boil, or the egg yolk will make the sauce curdle.
5 min
Step 12
Serve with white rice or steamed potatoes.
