from
Behind the
French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com
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.
L’Art du
Cuisinier by A. Beauvilliers, published in 1814
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.)
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.
Veau Orloff, Veau
Orlov or Veau Prince Orlov - Thin slices of
veal served interleaved with duxelles and Sauce Soubise.
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 Mornay
is Sauce Béchamel enriched with cheese (traditionally
Gruyère
or Emmental).
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
bryangnewman@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2025
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