Neck of Veal

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 7 quart heavy oval cocotte or tightly covered roasting pan
• •Kitchen twine
• •Parchment paper
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve and 2-quart saucepan

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the carré

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C), with a rack in the lower middle. Inspect the veal before you begin: the four ribs should remain joined, the vertebral chine should be gone, and about ⅔ inch (1.5 cm) of each rib tip should be exposed. If the chine remains, let a butcher remove it rather than attacking it with a chef's knife. Pat the carré dry, then season it evenly with the salt and white pepper. If you are using chicken stock, take ¼ cup (60 ml) from it, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold liquid, wait 5 minutes, and warm gently until dissolved before returning it to the remaining stock.

   The historical word neck is misleading at a modern meat counter. Ask for a bone-in rack or best end of veal from the first ribs, not the boneless collier sold for stewing.
2. 2

   Build a blond fond

   Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy oval cocotte over medium heat. When its foam subsides, brown the meaty faces and fat cap of the veal for 8 to 10 minutes, turning carefully and keeping the clean rib tips away from direct heat. You want a blond fond and a pale hazelnut crust, not the dark sear used for beef. If the butter begins to spot dark brown, pull the pot from the heat, add a spoonful of stock to stop the coloring, and continue over gentler heat.

3. 3

   Bard and settle

   Lift the veal onto a board. Add the onion and carrots to the cocotte and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, scraping up the blond fond while keeping the vegetables short of dark browning. Barder (to wrap with bacon) the exposed outer lean and the cleaned bases of the ribs, then secure the slices with three loops of kitchen twine. Set the carré fat-side up on the vegetables, tuck in the bouquet garni, and pour in 2½ cups (600 ml) of stock. The liquid should reach roughly one-third of the way up the meat, not cover it. Lay a parchment circle directly over the joint and close the pot with its lid.

4. 4

   Braise at a tremble

   Braise for 75 minutes, opening the pot every 20 minutes to spoon the cooking liquor thoroughly over the veal. The liquid should barely tremble. A hard boil contracts the lean meat and turns the gravy cloudy; if you find one, lower the oven to 300°F (150°C) and add a little reserved stock. Ça se rattrape. Keep the liquid near one-quarter to one-third of the meat's height, adding more stock only when the pot threatens to dry.

5. 5

   Glaze the joint

   When the center of the veal reaches about 140°F (60°C), remove the lid and parchment. Lift off the bacon and leave it among the vegetables, where it can continue seasoning the liquor. Raise the oven to 375°F (190°C), move the cocotte to the upper third, and cook uncovered for another 25 to 35 minutes. Baste every 6 to 8 minutes until the surface wears a glossy butter-gold glaze and the thickest meat away from the bone reaches 155°F (68°C). If the surface colors before the center is ready, cover the meat loosely with foil while leaving the surrounding liquor exposed.

6. 6

   Rest without rushing

   Transfer the carré to a warm platter, remove the twine, and cover it loosely with foil for 20 minutes. Resting lets the juices settle through the joint instead of running onto the carving board. The temperature will rise slightly, and the meat will remain moist enough to take the gravy rather than surrender to it.

7. 7

   Reduce and mount

   While the veal rests, strain the braising liquor into a saucepan without pressing the spent vegetables, then skim away the surface fat. Boil steadily until reduced to about 1¼ cups (300 ml) and nappant (able to coat the back of a spoon). Taste only near the end, because reduction concentrates salt. If it becomes too intense, loosen it with reserved unsalted stock. Remove the pan from the heat and monter au beurre (finish by whisking in cold butter), adding the diced butter a few pieces at a time until the gravy gleams. If the butter separates into an oily rim, begin with a teaspoon of cold stock in a clean saucepan and whisk in the broken gravy one spoonful at a time.

8. 8

   Carve at the table

   Carve straight down between the ribs to make four thick cutlets. Arrange them on the warm platter with their bare handles showing, spoon enough gravy around the meat to pool beneath it, and send the remainder to the table in a warm sauceboat. Paper frills improve nothing about supper. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Give the butcher the whole instruction: four-rib best end or rack of veal, chine removed, yellow ligament trimmed, rib tips exposed by about ⅔ inch (1.5 cm), and the fat cap left in place. The trimming is skilled saw work, not a useful contest between you and a chef's knife.
• •Light veal stock is ideal. If you have only unsalted chicken stock, the gelatin restores the body normally supplied by a stockpot rich in veal bones; it should give the reduced gravy silk, never the stiffness of jelly.
• •Use unsmoked streaky bacon. Smoke overwhelms the delicate meat and sends the gravy in another direction, while plain bacon protects the exposed surfaces and contributes salt, fat, and savor without announcing itself.
• •Serve the carré with pommes purée (buttered mashed potatoes) or small buttered noodles, something willing to collect the gravy. A full-bodied dry white wine suits the pale meat and buttery sauce better than a heavy, tannic red.

Advance Preparation

• •Order the veal one or two days ahead so the butcher has time to remove the chine and prepare the rib handles properly. Keep it well wrapped in the cold until the day of cooking.
• •The vegetables can be sliced and the bouquet garni tied earlier in the day. The carré can also be seasoned and barded several hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated; take it out while the oven heats.
• •For a fully make-ahead supper, braise and glaze the veal one day ahead, strain the liquor but do not reduce or mount it with butter, then cool the joint in the liquor and refrigerate within two hours. Reheat it covered at 300°F (150°C) until the center reaches 165°F (74°C), finish it uncovered to restore the glaze, and complete the gravy while it rests. The slices will be slightly firmer, but the cooking liquor keeps them succulent.
• •The strained liquor may be reduced up to two hours before serving. Hold it covered over very gentle heat, then whisk in the cold butter only after the veal has rested and you are ready to carve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 415g)