"I recently had lunch at Café Boulud here in New York," says Shelli Rafkin of New York, New York. "My entrée, blanquette de veau, had the most incredible sauce I've ever tasted. The whole dish, in fact, was sensational."
In this variation on the classic stew, the veal and the vegetables are cooked separately and combined at the end, when they're topped with a rich white sauce.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add pearl onions and cook 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, remove onions from pot. Trim ends and peel. Add veal to pot and cook 4 minutes. Drain veal; rinse with cold water. Rinse pot and return veal to pot. Add 8 cups chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaves and simmer until veal is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes longer.
Step 2
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in another heavy large pot over medium heat. Add pearl onions, celery root, carrots, turnips, mushrooms and 1 cup chicken stock. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add haricots verts and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Drain veal, reserving 2 cups liquid (if less than 2 cups cooking liquid remains, add enough stock to measure 2 cups). Mix veal into vegetables.
Step 4
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in 3 tablespoons flour. Cook until butter mixture turns golden brown, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 cups reserved cooking liquid. Cook until thickened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in whipping cream. Season sauce to taste with fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Step 5
Pour cream sauce over cooked veal and vegetables. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired, and serve immediately.
