Veal blanquette with vegetables (blanquette de veau aux petits légumes)

Stage 7 – Livarot/Fougères: This classic French veal stew takes its name from the fact the meat is not browned prior to stewing, so the dish remains pale in colour. A little crème fraîche combined with an egg yolk is used to further enhance the pale creaminess and to lightly thicken the sauce.

• serves

  3

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 10 g butter
• 800 g boneless, trimmed veal shoulder or shank, cut into 2-3 cm pieces
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 50 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml (1 cup) strong chicken stock
• 1 celery stalk, cut into small bite-size pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 carrots, cut into small bite-size pieces
• 15 button mushrooms, wiped clean
• 125 g (½ cup) crème fraîche
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the veal and stir for a few minutes without browning. Sprinkle the flour over the veal and stir until well combined. Add the wine and simmer for a few seconds, then add the stock and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then cover the pan with foil or a tight fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 1 hour or until the meat is almost tender. Add the carrot and mushrooms and simmer for another 15 minutes or until the meat is very tender and the carrots are soft.

Combine the crème fraîche and egg yolk in a small bowl, then stir into the veal casserole to thicken the sauce. The sauce must not boil or it will split. Check the seasoning, then serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Jerrie-Joy Redman-Lloyd. Food preparation by Alice Storey. Creative concept by Lou Fay. 

Taste le Tour starts Saturday 4 July 2015 on SBS ONE and finishes 26 July 2015. Visit the Taste le Tour website to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes or find out more about the show. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.