Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
France's favourite family stew: veal gently poached with vegetables, then bathed in a velvety white sauce of cream, egg yolk and lemon, with mushrooms and little onions.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Blanch the veal
Put the veal in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes; grey foam will rise. Drain and rinse the meat under cold water. This keeps the final sauce clean and white.
Poach gently
Rinse the pot and put the veal back in with the carrots, clove-studded onion, leek, celery, bouquet garni, salt and peppercorns. Cover with about 2 litres of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook very gently, partly covered, for 1½ hours, until the veal is tender. Skim off any foam now and then.
Cook the onions and mushrooms
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Strain the stock
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Make the white sauce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Enrich with cream and egg
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Combine and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Blanch the veal
Put the veal in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and let it bubble for 2 minutes; grey foam will rise. Drain and rinse the meat under cold water. This keeps the final sauce clean and white.
Poach gently
Rinse the pot and put the veal back in with the carrots, clove-studded onion, leek, celery, bouquet garni, salt and peppercorns. Cover with about 2 litres of cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook very gently, partly covered, for 1½ hours, until the veal is tender. Skim off any foam now and then.
Cook the onions and mushrooms
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Strain the stock
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Make the white sauce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Enrich with cream and egg
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Combine and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Blanquette comes from blanc, white: the meat is never browned, so the dish stays pale and delicate. It started in 18th-century bourgeois kitchens as a way to use leftover roast veal in a white sauce, and later became a stew made from fresh meat.
It is a true family dish in France, often cooked for Sunday lunch, and still regularly tops polls of the French public's favourite dishes.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Tender veal in a silky, lemony cream sauce: gentle, comforting flavours that remind many French people of their grandmother's kitchen.
💡 Fun Fact
The blanquette is so tied to French identity that it features in the famous OSS 117 spy comedies, where the hero is obsessed with it.
Paris and the Île-de-France
48.86°N, 2.35°E
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!