France Blanquette de Veau (Veal in White Sauce)
Blanquette de veau, meaning “veal in white sauce,” is one of the most well-known traditional dishes in French cuisine. With rich flavors derived from simple ingredients, this recipe was originally invented as a way to repurpose leftovers. It has since evolved into an elegant meal that is served in many top French restaurants. The key to cooking this dish is slow-simmering both the veal and vegetables so that neither brown but they soak in the juices of the other to create a delicate and cohesive meal.
Recipe Servings: 8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 50 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 20 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 10 oz (285 g) pearl onions
- 4½-lb (2 kg) deboned veal shoulder, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
- 9 cups (2 L) chicken stock, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 5 Tbsp (75 g) butter, divided
- 1½ lbs (680 g) celery root, peeled and cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces
- 3 medium turnips, peeled and each cut into six pieces
- 4 large carrots, peeled, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) lengths
- 8 oz (230 g) button mushrooms
- 6 oz (170 g) haricots verts, trimmed
- 3 Tbsp (25 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 ml) whipping cream
- ½ Tbsp (7.5 ml) fresh lemon juice
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ bunch fresh chives, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add whole pearl onions to the pot and cook them briefly, only 1–2 minutes.
- Remove onions from pot using a slotted spoon.
- Remove skins from onions and cut off their ends.
- Add veal to the pot and boil for 4–5 minutes.
- Drain veal and blanch it with cold running water.
- Return veal to the pot, add chicken stock reserving about ½ cup (120 ml), and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer veal for 30 minutes.
- Add bay leaves and thyme to the pot, simmering the mixture for 30 minutes until the veal is tender.
- Melt 2½ tablespoons (37.5 g) butter in a separate pot.
- Add reserved chicken stock, onions, celery root, turnips, carrots, and mushrooms to the melted butter.
- Cover pot and cook until most of the liquid is gone and the vegetables are just cooked.
- Add the haricots verts and cook briefly, for 1–2 minutes.
- Drain veal, reserving 2 cups (480 ml) of liquid, and add the veal to the vegetables.
- Melt remaining 2½ tablespoons (37.5 g) butter in a saucepan set over medium heat.
- Stir flour into melted butter, stirring constantly until the mixture is golden brown.
- Whisk in 2 cups (480 ml) of the veal broth, stirring for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add whipping cream and stir briefly.
- Add lemon juice and season as desired with salt and pepper.
- Pour creamy sauce over the veal and vegetable mixture, garnish it with chives, and serve blanquette de veau hot.
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