Chef Juliette
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Cushion of Veal (Relevés)
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1197, Cushion of Veal (Relevés), from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
A veal relevé scaled for four: the fat-capped haunch joint takes two stock glazes, a careful oven braise, and a brief broiler lacquer, yielding rosy slices and an incomparable gravy.
Main Dishes
French
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
30 min
Active Time
2 hr cook•2 hr 50 min total
Yield4 servings
Noix de veau braisée (braised cushion of veal) teaches braisage des viandes blanches, white-meat braising: build a gelatinous coat before the main cooking, then stop the instant the young meat is done. This is not a stew cooked to surrender. It is a roast-braise, lacquered outside, pale and juicy within, with a gravy drawn from the joint itself.
The brigade formula assumed an enormous haunch muscle served as a relevé, a saucier reducing ladles from stock never off the fire, hands available for constant basting, and a salamander to set the final glaze. For four, use a 3-pound boneless inside leg in a snug Dutch oven, keep prepared brown veal stock warm on a back burner, baste it yourself, and finish beneath the broiler. If that stock doesn't set when cold, plain gelatin restores the body the method depends upon without introducing another flavor. The larding needle and brigade-size presentation are scaffolding and go; the two preliminary stock reductions, regular basting, and precise doneness are the dish and stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
This is the logic of Braising of White Meats (No. 248), scaled without changing its sequence. Do not chase spoon-tender veal. The source tests with a deep needle and clear juices; an instant-read thermometer gives the home cook a surer answer. Guard the final quarter-hour, because the moment between succulent and dry is the one step that decides the whole relevé.
Noix de veau belongs to the national grand-kitchen canon rather than a single French region; the cut is the great inner muscle of the calf's haunch, prized for its fine grain and covering of white fat. As a relevé, it appeared as the substantial joint of a formal meal, then passed naturally to the bourgeois Sunday table in a smaller form. Braisage des viandes blanches is often mistaken for long stewing, but the method is a stock-glazed, roast-length cooking whose gravy matters as much as the meat.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless cushion of veal, inside leg or top round, with its white fat covering attached
Quantity
1 joint, about 3 lb (1.35 kg)
trimmed and tied as directed
white veal fat trimmed from the joint
Quantity
about 1/4 cup (60 ml / 55 g)
diced
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g)
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml / 9 g)
finely ground white pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g)
carrot
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 140 g)
thickly sliced
yellow onion
Quantity
1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 225 g)
thickly sliced
bouquet garni of parsley stems, thyme, and bay
Quantity
1
unflavored powdered gelatin (optional)
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g)
use only if the cold stock does not gel
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| boneless cushion of veal, inside leg or top round, with its white fat covering attachedtrimmed and tied as directed | 1 joint, about 3 lb (1.35 kg) |
| white veal fat trimmed from the jointdiced | about 1/4 cup (60 ml / 55 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) |
| fine sea salt | 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml / 9 g) |
| finely ground white pepper | 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g) |
| carrotthickly sliced | 1 cup (240 ml / 140 g) |
| yellow onionthickly sliced | 1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 225 g) |
| bouquet garni of parsley stems, thyme, and bay | 1 |
| rich brown veal stockkept hot | 5 cups (1.2 L / 1.2 kg), for Braising of White Meats (No. 248) |
| unflavored powdered gelatin (optional)use only if the cold stock does not gel | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •5- to 6-quart (4.7- to 5.7-liter) oval Dutch oven with lid
- •Small saucepan for keeping stock hot
- •Kitchen twine
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Pastry brush and broiler-safe platter
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the joint
Trim away silverskin and ragged edges without stripping the thin white fat covering from the veal. Reserve and dice any loose fat. If the joint is uneven, fold its narrow end underneath, then tie it crosswise at 1 1/2-inch intervals so it cooks as one compact muscle. Do not lard it. The retained fat and regular basting protect the meat without piercing its lean flesh. Dry the joint thoroughly, season it with the salt and white pepper, and leave it for 30 minutes while the stock warms.
- 2
Ready the stock
Warm the rich brown veal stock for Braising of White Meats (No. 248) in a small saucepan and keep it just below a simmer. Cold stock that sets softly is gelatinous enough. If yours remains liquid, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the cold stock, leave it for 5 minutes, then whisk it into the remaining stock as it warms. Gelatin is what lets each reduction cling to the joint and defend its juices in the oven.
- 3
Brown it gently
Heat the diced veal fat over medium-low heat in a snug 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven until it renders and its pieces turn pale gold. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the foam subsides, brown the veal on every side for 8 to 10 minutes, just until its surface firms and takes an even golden color. This is lighter than the hard searing used for a brown braise. If the butter darkens too quickly, lift the pot from the heat for a minute and lower the flame; bitter butter has no place in this gravy. Transfer the veal to a plate.
- 4
Make two glazes
Put the carrots, onions, and bouquet garni into the rendered fat and turn them once. Set the veal over this aromatic bed, fat side up, then pour 1 cup of hot stock around it. Set the lid slightly ajar and hold the pot at a moderate simmer, basting twice, until the stock reduces to a glossy film around the aromatics, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add another 1 cup of stock and repeat. These two reductions are the essential foundation of Braising of White Meats (No. 248), not brigade ceremony. Never let the pot become dry: if the glaze begins to catch, add the next ladle immediately and scrape gently. If a patch turns black or smells acrid, transfer the meat and aromatics to a clean pot and leave the burnt film behind.
- 5
Braise and baste
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Add 2 1/2 cups of hot stock, or enough to reach halfway up the veal, keeping the remaining 1/2 cup in reserve. Bring the liquid to a gentle tremble on the stove, then place the pot uncovered in the oven. Baste the fat-covered top every 15 minutes so the gelatinous liquor builds a shining coat. Begin checking the center after 60 minutes; a compact 3-pound joint usually needs 75 to 95 minutes. Remove it when the center reaches 140 to 142°F (60 to 61°C), then confirm during its rest that it reaches 145°F (63°C) and holds there for at least 3 minutes. If it stalls below that point, return it to the oven briefly. If the liquor falls below 1 inch before the veal is ready, add the reserved hot stock. Do not cook for softness. Exact doneness is the whole principle.
- 6
Reduce the gravy
Transfer the veal to a warm plate and tent it loosely for 20 minutes. Strain the braising liquor into a saucepan without crushing the aromatics, then let it stand for 2 minutes and skim off the surface fat. Save that veal fat for roasting potatoes. Boil the liquor steadily until about 1 1/4 cups remain and it coats the back of a spoon with a glossy film. Take it off the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter. If the gravy becomes greasy, skim it and whisk in a spoonful of cold stock away from the heat. If it tightens too far, loosen it with stock; if it remains thin, reduce it longer. Ça se rattrape.
- 7
Glaze carve serve
Heat the broiler and place the rested joint on a broiler-safe platter. Return any resting juices to the gravy. Brush the veal with a thin coat of gravy and set it about 8 inches beneath the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the surface gleams. Brush and glaze once more, watching without distraction because the concentrated stock can burn quickly. Remove the strings and carve the noix across the grain into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon a little gravy around the slices, leaving their lacquered surfaces visible, and pass the rest at the table. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask the butcher for a boneless cushion from the inside of the veal leg, also sold as veal inside round or top round, and request that its white fat covering be left attached. A bare, very lean piece can still be cooked, but it will demand even more faithful basting.
- •The pot must fit the joint closely. In a broad roasting pan, five cups of stock barely reach the meat and the reductions spread into a scorched puddle; a snug oval Dutch oven gives the correct depth and keeps the gravy concentrated.
- •Use real brown veal stock. Beef stock overwhelms the mild joint, while thin chicken broth cannot provide the gelatinous coating this method requires. Plain gelatin corrects body when a good prepared veal stock lacks it.
- •Carve across the grain and no thinner than 1/2 inch. Thin slices cool quickly and lose the succulent bite that distinguishes a veal relevé from ordinary cold roast meat.
- •Serve with pommes purée or buttered noodles and glazed carrots, all willing recipients for the gravy. A full white Burgundy or a light, supple red suits the veal without burying it.
Advance Preparation
- •Trim, tie, and season the veal up to 12 hours ahead. Prepare the aromatics and check the stock for gelatin at the same time, then refrigerate everything separately and take the veal out 30 minutes before cooking.
- •For the best centerpiece, cook and glaze the joint on the day it is served. To cook it fully up to 24 hours ahead, cool the roast and strained liquor promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate them, then slice the veal cold and reheat the slices gently in the gravy to 165°F (74°C). The meat stays moist, but you trade away the pleasure of carving the whole relevé at the table.
- •The strained gravy can be reduced several hours ahead. Reheat it gently and whisk in the final cold butter only before glazing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 275g)
Calories
655 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
2 g
Unsaturated Fat
19 g
Cholesterol
300 mg
Sodium
1250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
4 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
74 g
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