Ask the French to name the dishes they love most and blanquette de veau turns up near the top every time; a national television poll in 2007 put it among the five favorite meat dishes in the country, in the company of steak frites. It is the Sunday lunch of a thousand family kitchens, the plat du jour chalked on bistro boards when the weather turns, and the dish a French grandmother is most likely to judge you by.

The name comes from blanc, white, and that is the whole philosophy. Where most stews begin by browning the meat, this one does the opposite: the veal is poached from cold with an onion, a carrot and herbs, and its broth becomes a velvety sauce finished with cream, egg yolk and lemon. Purists insist that everything on the plate stay ivory; plenty of good cooks let a few carrot coins sneak in for color. Either way, it is a dish that rewards calm rather than heat, which makes it an excellent companion to a long race weekend afternoon.

The poached veal

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb (1.1 kg) veal shoulder and breast
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 leek, green part only
• 6 sprigs flat leaf parsley stalks
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 6 white or black peppercorns
• about 8 cups (2 liters) cold water

Method

1. Put the veal in the large pot and cover it with cold water. Set it over high heat and bring it to a boil, which takes about 10 minutes. Let it boil for 2 minutes. You will see a gray foam rise to the top. Tip everything into the colander in the sink and rinse each piece of meat under cold running water, rubbing off any foam. Rinse out the pot too.
2. Lay the parsley stalks, thyme and bay leaves inside the halved celery stalk and the leek green, then tie the bundle firmly with kitchen string, leaving a long tail to tie to the pot handle. Push the two cloves into the whole onion.
3. Return the veal to the clean pot with the onion, carrots, herb bundle, salt and peppercorns. Pour in cold water to cover everything by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat, then turn the heat down to low.
4. Set the lid slightly ajar and let the pot barely simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Every 20 minutes or so, skim off any foam with the ladle. Test a piece of meat at 1 1/2 hours; if it is still firm, give it another 15 to 30 minutes.
5. Lift the meat and carrot chunks into a bowl with the slotted spoon and cover them. Throw away the onion and herb bundle. Pour the broth through the fine sieve into the heatproof bowl. You need 3 cups (720 ml) for the sauce; keep any extra for soup.

The mushrooms and little onions

Ingredients

• 12 oz (340 g) pearl onions
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 10 oz (280 g) small white button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
• a pinch fine salt

Method

1. If your pearl onions are fresh, drop them into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, drain, and cool them under cold water. Trim the root end with a small knife and squeeze; the onion will pop out of its skin.
2. Put the onions in the small saucepan with the first tablespoon of butter, the sugar, a pinch of salt and enough water to come halfway up them. Simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the water has evaporated and the onions are tender.
3. Melt the second tablespoon of butter in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes. The lemon keeps them white.

The white sauce and liaison

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup (35 g) all purpose flour
• 3 cups (720 ml) strained veal broth
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) crème fraîche or heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) lemon juice
• a few gratings nutmeg
• to taste salt and ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley leaves

Method

1. Melt the butter in the medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. You are cooking out the raw flour taste without letting it color.
2. Pour in the hot broth a ladleful at a time, whisking hard after each addition so no lumps form. When it is all in, bring it to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, whisking often and scraping the corners of the pan.
3. Pour the sauce back into the large pot. Add the veal, carrots, onions and mushrooms and stir gently. Warm over low heat for 10 minutes so the meat heats through.
4. In the small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and crème fraîche together. Ladle in about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the hot sauce while whisking constantly. This warms the yolks gently so they will not scramble.
5. Take the pot off the heat. Pour the egg mixture in and stir slowly for 1 minute. Return the pot to very low heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more, never letting it bubble. Season with lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and white pepper, tasting as you go.

Rice to serve

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) long grain white rice
• 2 1/4 cups (540 ml) water or leftover veal broth
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Method

1. Put the rice in the sieve and rinse it under cold water, swirling with your hand, until the water running out is nearly clear. This washes off loose starch so the grains stay separate.
2. Put the rice, water or broth, butter and salt in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, then take it off the heat and leave it covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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