Selle de Veau à la Rénaissance

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 7-quart heavy lidded braiser
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •2.5 cm Parisienne scoop or melon baller
• •Wide sauté pan
• •Fine-mesh sieve and fat separator
• •Large warmed oval serving platter
• •Small warmed sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Temper the saddle

   Take the tied saddle from the cold 45 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the veal thoroughly dry, then season it all over with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper. A wet joint turns grey in the pan; a dry one gives the braising liquor the fond it needs.

2. 2

   Build the fond

   Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy lidded braiser over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, brown the saddle patiently on every accessible surface, 8 to 10 minutes in all, then lift it out. If the butter threatens to blacken before the veal colors, lower the heat and replace only the burnt butter, leaving the brown fond attached to the pot. Add 1 tablespoon fresh butter, the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until the vegetables take a golden edge.

3. 3

   Braise it gently

   Return the saddle to the braiser, fat side up, and tuck in the bouquet garni. Pour the stock around, not over, the meat; it should rise about one-third of the way up the joint. Bring it just to a tremble, cover with a round of parchment and the lid, then braise in the oven. Baste every 20 minutes and cook for 70 to 90 minutes, until the center registers 138 to 140°F (59 to 60°C). Do not take it to serving temperature yet. The final glaze must finish the cooking without drying the loin.

4. 4

   Shape the parade

   While the veal braises, prepare every vegetable and keep each kind in its own bowl. Use a Parisienne scoop or small melon baller to cut the garnish carrots and turnips into compact rounded pieces. The original grooved ovals required a cutter now rarely found; smooth rounds preserve the raised shape and even cooking, which are the parts that matter. Keep the scraps for soup. Cut the beans on a long diagonal into lozenges, trim the cauliflower into generous florets, and make the asparagus tips even.

5. 5

   Butter-cook the potatoes

   Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes, season lightly, cover, and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, rolling them often, until tender through and evenly butter-gold. They must cook in butter, not arrive boiled and merely dressed afterward. If the butter darkens before the centers soften, add 1 tablespoon water, cover again, and lower the heat. Hold the finished potatoes warm.

6. 6

   Glaze the roots

   Put the shaped carrots in the sauté pan with half the consommé and 2 tablespoons butter. Cover and simmer gently until nearly tender, then uncover and roll them through the reducing consommé until glossy. Transfer them to a warm dish. Repeat with the turnips, remaining consommé, and another 2 tablespoons butter; turnips generally finish sooner, which is why the two roots stay apart. If either glaze catches, add a spoonful of water and roll the vegetables free. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Blanch each vegetable

   Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a lively boil. Cook the cauliflower until tender but still holding its shape, 7 to 9 minutes, then drain it carefully. In the same water, blanch the beans for 3 to 4 minutes, the asparagus tips for about 2 minutes, and the peas for 1 to 2 minutes, always lifting out one vegetable before adding the next. Refresh the green vegetables briefly in cold water and drain them thoroughly. Separate cooking is the principle of the Rénaissance: peas must taste like peas, asparagus like asparagus.

8. 8

   Clear the liquor

   Lift the saddle onto a rack set over a tray and tent it loosely. Strain the braising liquor through a fine sieve without pressing the aromatics, then remove every visible trace of fat with a separator or a shallow spoon. Boil the clear liquor until reduced to about 1½ cups and lightly coating a spoon, keeping it a jus rather than thickening it with flour. If it becomes salty or sticky, add unsalted stock a spoonful at a time until balanced. Reserve about ⅓ cup for glazing and keep the remainder hot for the sauceboat.

9. 9

   Finish with butter

   Use one clean sauté pan to finish the vegetables in succession. Roll the cauliflower through 2 tablespoons butter, then warm the beans, peas, and asparagus separately with 1 tablespoon butter for each. Season each group only after tasting it, since the consommé and braising liquor already carry salt. Keep the vegetables in distinct warm dishes; mixing them now turns a parade into a vegetable medley, and that is not the same grammar.

10. 10

    Glaze at last

    Heat the broiler and place the saddle 6 to 8 inches beneath it. Brush the veal with the reserved reduced liquor, broil until the coat turns glossy, then repeat twice, watching it continuously. The finished glaze should be burnished, not scorched, and the center of the saddle must reach 145°F (63°C). If the glaze colors too quickly, lower the rack and continue brushing away from the fiercest heat. Rest the veal for 10 minutes.

11. 11

    Build the platter

    Set the glazed saddle along the center of a large warmed oval platter. Make a generous heap of buttered cauliflower at either end. Arrange distinct heaps of glazed carrots and turnips along both sides, then add the peas, bean lozenges, asparagus tips, and buttered potatoes in their own groups, alternating the colors without scattering them. Present the clear, degreased braising liquor separately in a warmed sauceboat. Carve the saddle at the table and let each guest choose from the parade. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the saddle in advance and ask the butcher to loosen the chine bone, trim the joint, and tie it securely. A boned saddle can be used if necessary, but it cooks faster and lacks the bone’s protection, so begin checking its temperature after 50 minutes.
• •A Parisienne scoop or ordinary melon baller is the honest home equivalent of the oval grooved spoon-cutter. Keep the pieces close in size. Perfect fluting is decoration; even cooking is technique.
• •Use unsalted stock and low-sodium consommé. Both reduce, and salt that tastes modest at the start can become fierce in the finished liquor.
• •Frozen peas are welcome here, often more tender than tired fresh ones. The asparagus must still be firm and sweet, however. This garnish belongs to the spring table, and poor asparagus cannot be disguised with butter.
• •Serve a mature white Burgundy or a supple red Burgundy. The wine needs enough breadth for veal and butter, but heavy tannin would bully the peas and asparagus.
• •Refrigerate leftover veal and vegetables separately for up to 3 days. Reheat the veal gently in a little reserved liquor; high heat will tighten the loin.

Advance Preparation

• •Shape the carrots and turnips up to 8 hours ahead and keep them submerged separately in cold water. Trim the remaining vegetables, wrap them in damp kitchen towels, and refrigerate.
• •The cauliflower and green vegetables may be blanched up to 3 hours ahead. Cool them quickly, dry them thoroughly, and apply their butter finish only when the veal is resting.
• •The carrots, turnips, and potatoes may be cooked about 1 hour before service and held separately in a low oven. The saddle itself is best braised and glazed on the same evening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 1100g)