Selle de Veau à la Nelson

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded roasting pan large enough to hold the saddle
• •14 by 10-inch (36 by 25 cm) shallow ovenproof serving dish
• •Narrow boning knife
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Heavy baking parchment
• •Kitchen twine
• •Medium saucepan
• •Warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare joint and collar

   Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat it to 325°F (165°C). Pat the saddle completely dry, season it with the salt and white pepper, and tie it at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals so the loins hold neatly against the bone. Cut a double-thickness band of strong parchment about 5 inches (13 cm) high and long enough to encircle the saddle with a 3-inch (8 cm) overlap. Butter one face with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter and set it aside, buttered side up.

   Use baking parchment, never waxed paper. The band must be strong enough to hold a heavy soufflé mixture without softening or tearing.
2. 2

   Brown the saddle

   Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 29 g) butter in a heavy lidded roasting pan over medium-high heat. When its foam subsides, brown the saddle deeply on every exposed meaty surface, turning it with two sturdy spoons rather than piercing it. Allow 10 to 12 minutes. The bronze film on the pan floor is the fond that gives the braising liquor its backbone; brown it, but never let it turn black.

3. 3

   Braise below finished

   Lift out the saddle. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring, until softened and lightly coloured. Pour in the white wine and scrape every browned speck from the pan floor, then boil until the wine is reduced by half. Add the veal stock and bouquet garni, return the saddle bone-side down, and bring the liquid to a bare simmer. Cover and braise in the oven, basting every 20 minutes, until the centre of a loin reaches 132 to 135°F (56 to 57°C), usually 65 to 85 minutes. Stop there. The final bake finishes the veal; cooking it fully now would leave it dry beneath the soufflé. If the liquid falls below one quarter of the joint's height, add a little hot stock.

4. 4

   Reduce the liquor

   Transfer the saddle to the shallow ovenproof dish in which it will be served and let it rest for 15 minutes. Strain the braising liquor into a saucepan without pressing the vegetables, discard the bouquet garni, and skim away every visible trace of fat. Boil the liquor steadily until about 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) remain and it lightly coats a spoon. If grease continues to gather, touch a folded piece of absorbent paper briefly to the surface and lift it away. If the liquor becomes too salty or tight, loosen it with unsalted stock. Ça se rattrape. Hold it warm for serving.

5. 5

   Carve and rebuild

   Increase the oven to 375°F (190°C). Run a narrow boning knife along each side of the backbone and beneath the loin muscles, lifting each loin away in one piece while leaving the saddle structure intact. Cut the loins crosswise into even collops about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick, keeping them in their original order. Spread about 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 48 g) Soubise in each cavity, then return the collops to their places. Between every two collops, tuck a matching piece of ham and a small spoonful of Soubise. Press the joint gently back into its original outline. If the slices begin to slide, encircle the meat with a narrow strip of buttered parchment and one loop of twine; this temporary brace will come away with the outer collar.

6. 6

   Crown and collar

   Stir about ½ cup (120 ml / 110 g) of the Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a) into the black truffle purée to lighten it, then fold that mixture through the remaining soufflé with broad strokes, stopping as soon as the colour is even. If overmixing has left it visibly slack, whisk the optional egg white to firm peaks and fold it through in two or three strokes. Spread the truffled soufflé over the entire upper surface of the reconstructed saddle in a layer about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Immediately encircle the joint with the prepared parchment, buttered side inward, and tie it snugly with two loops of kitchen twine. The paper should stand at least 2 inches (5 cm) above the topping.

7. 7

   Bake the crown

   Set the serving dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes without opening the door during the first 12. The soufflé should rise within the collar, turn butter-gold with bronze patches, and feel set around the edges with a slight tremble at the centre. Check the veal from the side, beneath the crown; a collop should reach at least 145°F (63°C). If soufflé begins escaping beneath the band, slide the dish out, tighten the lower string, and push the escaped spoonful back inside with a wide spatula. Ça se rattrape. Return it to the oven at once.

8. 8

   Unband and serve

   Let the saddle stand for 3 minutes. Cut the twine, run a thin buttered knife wherever the crown touches the paper, and peel the collar slowly outward and upward. Do not transfer the joint; it goes to the table in the dish in which the soufflé baked. Pour the hot, degreased braising liquor into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately so the crown stays proud. Carve through the soufflé and reconstructed collops together. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the saddle from a butcher and explain the final construction. You need a short bone-in centre section with both loin muscles attached, not rolled boneless veal and not a rack split into chops. Ask for the chine to be loosened if possible; it makes the carving far calmer.
• •Soubise must be thick, pale, and smooth. A loose sauce sends the collops skating across the dish, so reduce it gently before assembly if it will not hold the track of a spoon.
• •Use a purée containing real black truffle. Truffle oil cannot replace the body or earthy concentration required here, and its perfume grows harsh in the oven. A good preserved purée is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh truffles are unavailable.
• •Prepare the Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a) only when the saddle has been carved and rebuilt. Once its egg whites are folded, the component waits for neither the sauce nor the guests.
• •A mature white Burgundy has enough weight for the Parmesan and Soubise, while a supple red Burgundy suits the veal and truffle. Serve the reduced liquor sparingly at first; the crown should remain airy, not soaked.

Advance Preparation

• •The Soubise can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered, and chilled. Reheat it gently and reduce it until thick before assembling the saddle.
• •The onion, carrot, and celery can be chopped, the ham cut into veal-sized pieces, and the parchment collar measured earlier in the day.
• •Do not fold the truffle purée into the Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a) ahead of time. Complete that mixture only after the veal has been rebuilt and the oven has reached 375°F (190°C).
• •The braised saddle should proceed directly through carving, rebuilding, and baking. Chilling it between those stages makes the final fifteen-minute bake too short to warm the bone and risks a dry crown before the centre is hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 520g)