Côtelette (Côte) de Veau
A veal chop
Photograph
courtesy of Glen MacLarty
https://www.flickr.com/photos/glenmaclarty/6342211281/
Blanquette de Veau – A veal stew that
includes carrots, onions, and leeks as well as
white wine, and it will be served with a thick sauce that will include sautéed button mushrooms and pearl
onions added just before serving. Some variations of Blanquette de Veau
might add crème fraiche and replace the white wine with
France’s favorite vermouth, Noilly Prat.
Blanquettes are stews made for white
meats, and those include veal, pork, rabbit, lamb, and occasionally fish. The earliest recipe I have seen is in
the 1815 book L’Art du Cuisinier (the Art of the Chef by A. Beauvilliers),
and that recipe was very different. Then,
it was made with cold roasted veal, and the only vegetables are peas with some
herbs.
Beauvilliers, Antoine (1754-1817) – Antoine
Beauvilliers was a chef and the first to open a full-service restaurant in
France though long before Beauvilliers, there were inns, coaching inns, and
eating houses in Paris, Lyon, and elsewhere, but they only offered ate the
single fixed-price meal offered, washed down with a tankard of the single wine
or beer that was offered. Beauvilliers's restaurant was called the Grande
Taverne de Londres, the Great London Tavern and opened in 1782. (In the
late 1700s, the taverns of London were famous all over Europe for their huge
roasts.) Beauvilliers’ restaurant, with its
extensive menu and elegant service, offered roasts and other reasonably priced
dishes to a growing middle class. Together with the most famous of the
pioneering chefs, Antonin Carême,
Beauvilliers co-authored La Cuisine Ordinaire, Ordinary Cooking; that
book was published posthumously for both authors in 1848.
L’Art du
Cuisinier by A. Beauvilliers, published in 1814
Photograph
courtesy of Gallica (BnF)
For Blanquette de Veau see page 163
Bouchée à la
Reine – The dish
called “queen's morsel” is named after the Queen of France, Marie Leszczynska,
wife of Louis XV and today’s best versions are individual vol-au vents that
include chicken, veal
sweetbreads and mushrooms with a sauce.
Sweetbreads
are among the best of the inside cuts; they are
the pancreas and thymus glands, with some gourmands preferring one to the
other; others prefer veal over lamb. These
delicate cuts are served with a light sauce or fried.
Marie
Leszczynska’s father, the ex-king of Poland, was given sanctuary in France after losing his job as
King of Poland for the second time. Louis XV, the
king of France, made his father-in-law the Duke of Lorraine and Bar, along with
a castle. From his castle came a number
of famous dishes, including Rhum
Baba (rum baba).
Bouchée à la Reine
Photograph courtesy of France Voyage
Canon
de Veau - As its name suggests, this cut is
considered to look like a small canon (the kind that fires cannonballs, not the
guys with jobs in the church). It is essentially a loin of the veal (a cut from
the back) that has been boned, rolled, stuffed and roasted.
After the Canon
de Veau, the canon of veal, came a Canon d’agneau, a canon
of lamb. Good ideas in French cuisine do
not remain alone for long. Other French chefs will create variations based on
the original, and so there was no stopping the canons, and now it is no longer
only the loin or the leg of lamb or veal.
French chefs achieve the same look with small canons of poultry and even
canons of fish.
Canon de Veau au Miel de Cannelle
A canon of veal
with cinnamon honey
In
France’s island region of La Réunion, small beekeepers sometimes infuse
honey with Cannelier de Ceylan grown locally around Saint-Philippe or
Sainte-Rose on the eastern side of the Island.
Photograph
and recipe courtesy of Marmiton.
Côtelette de
Longe de Veau Grillée – A grilled bone-in
veal loin chop (another name for a veal T-bone steak). A veal chop should
be thick, 3.5-5cm (1.5- 2 inches). The
thickness is significant because you don’t want a thin veal T-bone well-done. A
thick cut helps to keep the meat tender and juicy while grilling, preventing it
from drying out. (Just like with beef,
the loin section is the area that gives us T-bone and Porterhouse steaks).
Côtelette de
Longe de Veau aux Morilles, Jus Crémé - A veal loin chop, pan-seared and served with a creamy morel mushroom
sauce. (The term Jus Crémé means a creamy sauce made with the addition
of the meat’s natural cooking juices.)
Côte or Côtelette de Veau – A veal chop. Classic
French cuisine assigns the ribs names, and you'll see them in a butcher's shop,
though they will rarely be noted on a restaurant menu.
Côte de Veau aux Girolles, Gratin Dauphinois – A veal chop with girolle chanterelle mushrooms and Gratin Dauphinois.
The chanterelle or girolle
chanterelle is the best-known member of the chanterelle mushroom
family in France. The other members of
the chanterelle family are also welcomed by the chefs of France, whether fresh
or dried, but they are not as abundant. Dried chanterelles keep much of their flavor,
but chefs know the difference that fresh chanterelles can make to a dish; in
season, hardly a single menu will not include at least one dish with fresh
chanterelles.
Gratin Dauphinois
or Pommes de Terre Dauphinoise
– Sliced potatoes layered with cream
and milk and baked with olive oil and garlic, with some versions including
onions. The potatoes are covered with Parmesan or Gruyère cheese and
then lightly grilled.
N.B.: Do not
confuse Gratin Dauphinois with Pommes Dauphine or Pommes de
Terre Darphin.
Escalope de Veau or Paillard de Veau
- A veal
cutlet, escalope, escallop or scallop. (See Chapter 24).
Filet de Veau
and the Filet Mignon de Veau - The veal fillet, the
tenderloin; it is the most expensive and tenderest of all veal cuts. However,
it is not the most flavorful option. (See Chapter 25).
Flanchet de Veau – A cut just
below the bavette de veau (veal flank steak). It is an
inexpensive but tasty cut, which is why you’ll often see this and similar cuts
on the menus of budget-friendly restaurants.
Flanchet de Veau
de Corrèze, Blettes au Jus et aux Olives Noires - A cut from
the veal flank from the Corrèze beef served with Swiss chard
and black olives with a sauce
from the natural cooking juices (jus).
Veau de
Corrèze – The veal comes from the rural, green and hilly department
of Corrèze in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-central France; part of
the old region of Limousine. So, this
veal is part of the Limousine beef, which is raised here and in the departments
of Creuse and Haute-Vienne.
Limousine is also famous for its Pomme du Limousin
AOP (Golden Delicious). This part of France is also famous for
the creation of Limousin’s Clafoutis (pronounced in the singular or
plural form as kla-fou-tee). These tarts are made with a crepe-like
batter and were originally only made with Limousin’s abundant sour cherries. Today,
clafoutis are famous all over France, made with other fruits and ingredients
and served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The flaugnarde (pronounced
flo-nyard) is Limousine’s other famous tart and somewhat similar.While very little wine is produced
in Limousin, its oak forests have provided all the oak for the barrels used in
Rémy Martin Cognac for
more than 100 years.
Longe de Veau - This usually indicates a veal roast; however, if this
is on the menu for a single diner, it means the chef will cut a thick portion be
cut from a veal loin and will probably be pan-fried like a veal chop. .
Longe de Veau Fermier, Crème de Morilles et Asperges
Vertes – A farm-raised
veal chop, a cut from the rump with a morel mushroom cream sauce, and green asparagus.
Noix Pâtissière – A very
tender cut from a hind leg
of veal and
today nothing
to do with a pâtissier,
a pastry maker.
À la Pâtissière originally meant “prepared in the
manner of a pastry cook because In the 18th and 19th centuries, a pâtissier was not only
a maker of desserts, but also someone who prepared savory dishes en
croute with veal, beef, poultry, or fish baked in puff pastry or pâte brisée usually
wrapped or garnished with pastry, or served with ingredients typical of pastry
cooking (like a creamy sauce, mushrooms, or truffles. Many of the best escalopes come
from this cut.
Paillard de Veau - A veal cutlet, escalope, escallop
or scallop.
Pied-de-Veau – Calf's foot. Like pieds
de cochon (pig's trotters),
these may
be
on menus serving traditional French
comfort
foods.
There are several ways to prepare them, but they all
involve long, slow cooking. This
technique is essential for breaking down the tough connective tissue, making
the dish flavorful. Historically, the calf’s foot was a humble, rustic
ingredient, as they were inexpensive and offered a lot of flavor. Today, Pied-de-Veau is still enjoyed
as a delicacy across many regions of France, appearing in both traditional
bistro dishes and gourmet cooking.
Quasi de Veau - This tender cut
of veal comes from the top of the rump and is usually prepared as a small
roast; it's not usually seen in the UK or USA as it's too much work for most
butchers. (The closest cut in the USA is the round and sirloin, and in the
UK the topside and silverside).
Quasi de Veau, Purée de Carottes Acidulées & Carotte Fane Rôtie,
Champignons, Jus au Poivre de Sichuan
- Veal quasi, focusing on
contrasting flavors and textures, with a tangy carrot purée, roasted carrot
tops, mushrooms and a Sichuan Pepper sauce.
The Sichuan Pepper
first came to France with Asian trade. Later, when France sent emigrants to fight
and colonize its overseas Southeast Asian protectorates, the French settlers, who
had brought their own chefs, quickly adapted French dishes to Szechwan pepper
and not just as replacements for peppercorns. Sichuan pepper comes with an
extended family and only the fruit’s shell is used in cooking and may be used
dried, ground, or roasted. Do not be surprised if, on a visit to a food store
in China, you discover that there are many different types of these peppers, at
least 100 or more.
Quasi de Veau, Carottes Fanes
A veal quasi with roasted carrot tops.
Photograph courtesy of Trip Advisor
Quenelles de Veau - Veal dumplings. The term quenelle is believed to have come
from the German word knödel (meaning dumpling), which refers to simple
flour or bread dough preparations.
The original dumplings were made and sold by bakers to be added to soup, and from there it
was a short natural step for French chefs to refine this idea by adding another
ingredient and the Quenelle de Brochet, or pike (the fish) dumpling, still sold
by bakers, became a signature dish of the city of Lyon in the early 19th
century.
Soon after, quenelles were also made with veal
or poultry. However, some French diners still consider it
an act of lèse majesté (an offense against a sovereign or ruler) if
today a quenelle is made with anything other than pike. However, despite the arguments over
tradition, veal quenelles are very popular and will make many menus.
Tendron – A cut for
stews and often cooked with the veal flank or breast. When prepared without its
bone, the tendron is called a Côte Parisienne.
Tendron de Veau aux
Légumes Racines -A classic winter stew
made with slow-cooked veal served with root vegetables. The root vegetables include: turnips (navets), parsnips
(panais), swedes (chou-navets or rutabaga), carrots (carottes), and Jerusalem artichokes
(artichaut
de Jérusalem or topinambour).
La Côte Parisienne. Once the bone and
cartilage are removed, the flat piece of meat can be cut and prepared much like
a veal chop (côte de veau), and grilled or pan-fried.
Tête de Veau
– Veal head meat is a traditional dish on many bistro menus, but worry not;
no bones or eyes will be staring at you from the plate! This dish is a slowly
cooked stew made with the meat from a calf's cheeks and ears, flavored with
herbs; it will be rolled and tied until it looks much like an irregular
sausage.
When ordered by a
group of diners, a Tête de Veau will be
sliced in front of them; however, individual orders will be sliced in
the kitchen. Some recipes include the tongue, and others the brain. In
contrast, other versions serve the tongue and the brains on the side, allowing
the different flavors and textures to be appreciated.
Alongside a serving of
Tête de Veau will usually be jacket or boiled
potatoes and either a sauce gribiche, a mayonnaise-based sauce
made with hard-boiled egg
yolks and cornichons
with a strong mustard
accent or a sauce ravigote, a thick vinaigrette-based
sauce that includes mustard,
eggs, olive oil, shallots,
spring onions, chives, parsley, capers, cornichons, tarragon
and chervil.
Tête
de Veau Sauce Gribiche
The
calf’s head meat with sauce gribiche
Photograph
courtesy of Trip Advisor
Tranche de Palette de Veau - A veal
blade steak, a cut from the veal shoulder. (Although
this cut is often associated with pork, it provides a tender veal steak.)
Rôti de Palette de Veau aux
Champignons, Sauce Crémeuse -
A veal shoulder roast served with a
creamy button mushroom sauce.
Veau Cordon Bleu –
A veal escalope
prepared with a slice of boiled ham and cheese; the best have the veal
completely surrounding the ham and cheese. Traditionally, the cheese is
French Gruyere,
though it is often made with Comte or Munster;
all will be breaded and then deep-fried until crispy.
Veal Cordon Blue is a
mid-20th-century recipe; however, the Blue Ribbon began as part
of a royal award created in 1578 by King Henry III of France to honor
outstanding service to the crown. Then, the Cordon Bleu was a decorative
blue ribbon worn around the neck as part of an award called L'Ordre des
Chevaliers du Saint-Esprit, the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit. The blue ribbon was worn by its recipients
every day, and over the years, the award became known as Le Cordon Bleu,
the blue ribbon.
The
tradition connecting the Cordon Bleu to the best in French cuisine is
linked to King Louis XV (1710-1777). Then, the King presented the award to a
female chef who had prepared a delicious and memorable meal. Following that
award, the Cordon Bleu was accepted as a standard of excellence for
chefs.
Veau Orloff, Veau
Orlov or Veau Prince Orlov - Thin slices of
veal served interleaved with duxelles and Sauce Soubise.
The stuffed roast is
completely covered with Sauce Mornay and then
briefly baked in the oven to form a golden glaze.
Duxelles –
A five-hundred-year-old recipe of finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and herbs
cooked in butter. The chef François Pierre de La Varenne (1618-1678)
named the dish after his employer, the Marquis d'Uxelles.
Sauce Soubise
- A white sauce made with onion purée, Béchamel sauce, and white wine. The
sauce is named after Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, Marshal of France
(1715 –1787). (The prince had many other onion dishes named after him, though
no one seems to remember why.)
The Hotel de Soubise
in Paris was the family's town palace and is considered a unique example of
Rococo décor. The building now serves as the French National Archives,
Sauce Mornay
is Sauce Béchamel enriched with cheese (traditionally
Gruyère
or Emmental).
Some modern versions
may use thin slices of veal that are layered in a casserole, but the classic
recipe calls for a pre-cooked roast that is sliced, stuffed, and then re-baked.
Prince Orlov (1786-1821)
was a prominent figure in the Russian aristocracy,
and it's said that the dish was developed by a French chef at the request of
the prince. The exact story behind the dish's creation is debated, but it
became a symbol of high-end French cuisine during the period.
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Connected Posts:
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2025
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