Blanquette de Veau (White Veal Stew)

Blanquette de Veau is a cornerstone of classical French bourgeois cooking, referenced in cookbooks as far back as the early 18th century. Unlike most braises, the veal is poached — never browned — preserving the pale, delicate colour that gives the dish its name (blanc = white). The sauce is a velouté enriched with cream and egg yolks, a technique called liaison, which produces a silky, unctuous coating that clings to every morsel. Pearl onions and button mushrooms add sweetness and earthiness. It is Sunday lunch food in France — patient, generous, and deeply comforting, epitomising the philosophy that great cooking need not be complicated.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 900 g (2 lb) boneless veal shoulder or breast, cut into 5 cm (2-inch) cubes
• 1 onion, halved and studded with 2 cloves
• 1 carrot, halved
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, parsley stalks)
• 1 litre (4 cups) veal or chicken stock
• 200 g (7 oz) pearl onions, peeled
• 200 g (7 oz) button mushrooms, quartered
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 30 g (¼ cup) plain flour
• 150 ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt, white pepper, freshly grated nutmeg
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, to serve

Instructions

1. Place veal in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and blanch 3 minutes. Drain and rinse the veal and pot.
2. Return veal to the pot with the halved onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim carefully, and poach over low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes until tender. Remove veal; strain and reserve 600 ml (2½ cups) of the cooking liquid.
3. Meanwhile, braise pearl onions in butter with a pinch of sugar and 100 ml water for 15 minutes until glazed. Sauté mushrooms separately in butter for 5 minutes.
4. Make the velouté: melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, cook 1–2 minutes without colouring. Gradually whisk in the reserved cooking liquid. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring, until thickened and smooth.
5. Whisk cream and egg yolks together. Off the heat, stir the liaison into the sauce — do not boil again or the yolks will scramble. Season with lemon juice, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt.
6. Return veal, pearl onions, and mushrooms to the sauce. Warm gently over the lowest heat for 5 minutes. Serve with rice pilaf, egg noodles, or crusty bread.

Cook's Notes: The liaison step is the key technique: remove the pot from heat before adding the cream-yolk mixture, then return only to the lowest heat. The dish can be made a day ahead and reheated very gently.