Selle de Veau (Relevé)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 7-quart (5.7 to 6.6-litre) oval cocotte with a tight lid
• •Butcher's twine
• •Large basting spoon
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Broiler-safe oval serving platter
• •Sharp carving knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the stock

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Chill a spoonful of the veal stock briefly: it should become softly jellied rather than remain watery. If it does not, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over ¼ cup (60 ml) of cold stock, leave it for 5 minutes, then whisk it into the remaining stock as it warms. The gelatin is not there to make gravy; it forms the protective glaze the original kitchen drew from its permanent stockpot.

2. 2

   Shape and bard

   Inspect the saddle before seasoning. The pelvis end should be trimmed flush, the front end should finish at the first rib, and the kidney should be removed while a thick layer of fat remains over the under-fillet. Pare the loose flank only enough that it can fold underneath and just cover that tender fillet. Season the inside with half the salt and pepper, draw the flank over the fillet, and lay the bacon across the top in overlapping slices. Tie the joint crosswise with five or six firm loops of butcher's twine so neither flank nor bacon can shift.

3. 3

   Stiffen in butter

   Melt the butter over medium heat in a cocotte just large enough to hold the saddle. Season the outside, then turn the joint carefully in the butter until every accessible side is lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes. This is a raidissement, a gentle stiffening and coloring, not a hard sear; the surface should firm without building a thick crust. If the butter begins to darken before the veal colors, lower the heat and add a spoonful of warm stock. Lift the joint out, soften the onion and carrots in the same butter for 5 minutes, then settle the bouquet garni among them.

4. 4

   Build the glaze

   Return the saddle to the cocotte, bacon side up. Follow the short-moistening sequence of Braising of White Meats (No. 248): pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of hot veal stock, cover, and let it bubble moderately for 5 minutes. Uncover and reduce until the stock becomes syrupy, coats the vegetables, and clings to the joint when spooned over it. Add a second ½ cup (120 ml) and repeat. Do not walk away during either reduction. If the glaze catches on the pot floor, lower the heat and loosen it immediately with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of stock, scraping gently until smooth. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Braise and baste

   Add the remaining hot stock, using only enough to reach halfway up the saddle, and bring it to a bare simmer. Cover the cocotte and place it in the oven. Baste the exposed surface every 12 to 15 minutes, closing the oven promptly each time, until the thickest part of the loin reaches 140 to 142°F (60 to 61°C), about 75 to 100 minutes. If the bacon or exposed meat loses its shine between bastings, spoon over the braising liquor at once; if the liquid falls below one-third of the joint, add hot stock ¼ cup (60 ml) at a time. Short moistening, not drowning. Resting and glazing must carry the centre to at least 145°F (63°C) before carving; if it falls short, return it covered to the oven for 5 minutes at a time.

6. 6

   Reduce the jus

   Transfer the saddle to a warm, broiler-safe platter and tent it loosely. Strain the braising liquor into a wide saucepan without pressing the vegetables, then skim away the excess fat. Boil steadily until the jus is glossy, concentrated, and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in any juices collected beneath the resting meat. If the jus turns syrupy or too salty, loosen it with unsalted stock one spoonful at a time; if it remains thin, keep reducing. Taste before adding any further salt.

7. 7

   Set the glaze

   Heat the broiler and place its rack about 8 inches (20 cm) from the heat. Brush the saddle generously with reduced jus, broil for 30 to 60 seconds until the coating gleams, then repeat once or twice, watching without interruption. This brief glazing replaces the salamander and should bronze the bacon edges without continuing to cook the loin. If the glaze slides straight off, it is too thin; return it to the saucepan and reduce before trying again. Verify that the centre has reached at least 145°F (63°C), then rest the glazed saddle for 5 minutes.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Remove all five or six loops of twine. Carry the saddle whole to the table if you wish, then follow the backbone and ribs with a sharp knife to release the loin in one piece. Slice it across the grain about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick, free the smaller under-fillet from beneath the flank, and slice that separately. Arrange both cuts on the warm platter, spoon a little jus around them, and serve the rest alongside. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the half saddle ahead. Ask for one bone-in side split lengthwise through the saddle, with the kidney removed, the fat over the under-fillet left intact, and enough flank retained to fold beneath it. A boneless veal loin is easier to find, but it is not the same joint or the same lesson.
• •The stock must gel when cold. A watery packaged stock cannot build the protective coating this method depends upon, so use the optional gelatin when necessary. It restores the body of a well-made veal stock without changing its flavor.
• •Choose unsmoked bacon with a generous proportion of fat. Its work here is barding, protecting the lean saddle while it cooks, not making the joint taste smoked.
• •Do not cook this like a brown braise. Selle de veau should carve into moist slices; once the loin passes its proper temperature, no quantity of sauce can put the juice back.
• •A broad white Burgundy suits the butter, bacon, and pale veal, while a light red Beaujolais works if your table prefers red. Heavy tannin bullies the meat.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat slices gently under a spoonful of jus in a covered pan; boiling the sauce around them will finish the drying the barding worked so hard to prevent.

Advance Preparation

• •The butcher can trim and split the saddle a day or two ahead. Keep it wrapped in the cold, then shape, season, bard, and tie it several hours before cooking.
• •Prepare or obtain the veal stock in advance and confirm that it gels when chilled. Slice the aromatics and assemble the bouquet garni earlier in the day.
• •This white-meat braise is best cooked close to serving. Unlike a collagen-rich brown braise, it does not improve through a full cooling and reheating cycle; complete the first reductions and oven cooking so the saddle can be glazed, rested, and carved without delay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)