Côte de Veau Froide en Belle Vue

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large heavy skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Wire rack and tray
• •Medium saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve lined with damp muslin or a clean cloth
• •Four shallow oval metal moulds, about 7 by 5 inches (18 by 13 cm)
• •Small pastry brush
• •Shallow dish for the chopped aspic
• •Small sharp knife
• •Parchment paper and kitchen scissors
• •Chilled serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook and chill veal

   Dry the chops thoroughly and season them with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and the white pepper. Heat the clarified butter in a broad skillet over medium-high heat, then brown the chops without crowding, about 3 minutes on each side. Lower the heat and continue cooking, turning and basting, until the centers reach 145°F (63°C). Rest them on a rack for 5 minutes, then refrigerate uncovered until no longer warm before covering and chilling completely, about 1 hour. Cold veal exposes every degree of overcooking, so stop at temperature rather than cooking until it feels firm.

   The source begins with an already cooked cold cutlet. This short pan method supplies that missing component while keeping the meat tender enough to eat chilled.
2. 2

   Prepare vegetable mosaic

   Cut the carrot slices into small rounds, crescents, or diamonds, keeping the shapes no thicker than 1/8 inch (3 mm). Blanch the carrot until barely tender, about 2 minutes, the beans for 90 seconds, and the peas for 30 seconds. Chill each vegetable promptly in iced water, drain it, and pat it completely dry. Moisture trapped beneath the aspic makes pale spots and lets the decoration slide.

3. 3

   Make clear aspic

   Pour 1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 360 g) of the cold stock into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 10 minutes to bloom. Warm the remaining stock with the last 1/2 teaspoon of salt until hot but not boiling, then stir in the bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved. Strain through a damp cloth-lined sieve and cool the aspic until fluid but no longer warm. If it firms before you need it, set the bowl over lukewarm water and stir; if it runs like stock when you need it to grip, stir it over ice. Ça se rattrape.

   Spoon a little aspic onto a chilled saucer. It should set cleanly within several minutes and lift in one firm piece without becoming rubbery.
4. 4

   Set first jelly layer

   Arrange four shallow oval metal moulds on a tray. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of fluid aspic into each, making a clear layer about 1/8 inch (3 mm) deep. Refrigerate until fully set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the remaining aspic cool and fluid while this first layer firms.

5. 5

   Fix the decoration

   Trim ragged fat and gristle from the cold chops while preserving the bones and a neat cutlet outline. Lay the chops rounded-side up and arrange the carrot, bean diamonds, and peas in a simple pattern over each one. Transfer about 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of aspic to a small bowl and stir it over ice until it reaches a half-melted consistency, like loose raw egg white. Brush or spoon it sparingly over the vegetables, then chill the chops for 10 minutes. This fixing coat is the step that decides the dish. If a piece shifts, move it back before the jelly sets and brush it again; don't flood the pattern.

6. 6

   Mould the cutlets

   Place each chop inside its mould with the decorated side undermost against the set jelly, allowing the clean end of the bone to project over the narrow rim. Pour 1 1/2 cups (360 ml / 360 g) of the remaining aspic into a separate shallow dish for the chopped-jelly border. Gently pour the rest down the sides of the moulds until the meat is covered, keeping the exposed bone clean. If the first layer begins to melt or the pattern moves, stop and pour off the loose aspic, chill the mould for 10 minutes, then continue with cooler jelly. Refrigerate the moulds and the reserved aspic until completely firm, at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.

7. 7

   Unmould and finish

   Chop the reserved aspic into irregular pieces about 1/4 inch (6 mm) across and arrange them as a border on a chilled platter. Dip a small sharp knife in hot water, wipe it, and pass the blade carefully around the edge of each mould. Set the mould for 3 to 5 seconds on a folded napkin dipped in hot water, invert it over the platter, and lift gently. If it resists, warm the mould for another 2 seconds rather than pulling on the bone. If an edge tears, press the loose jelly back with a little half-set aspic and chill it for 10 minutes; the chopped border will cover the seam. Wrap a fringed parchment frill around each clean bone and serve the Belle Vue cold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for four matching rib chops with long, clean bones. Uneven chops require uneven moulds, and this is one occasion when sameness makes the work calmer.
• •A dedicated moule à côtelette, a cutlet mould, is useful but not sacred. Any shallow oval metal dish that fits the meat closely will do, and a sturdy oval foil dish can be pressed gently into shape.
• •Choose stock for clarity as well as flavor. A dark or cloudy stock may taste splendid, but it hides the vegetable pattern beneath the aspic; pale, well-defatted stock gives the proper clear lens.
• •Frozen peas are the honest choice outside their brief season. They are sweet, evenly sized, and hold their color better than tired fresh peas.
• •Make the bone frills from parchment strips about 4 by 2 inches (10 by 5 cm). Fringe one long edge, accordion-fold the strip, and wrap the uncut edge snugly around the bone.
• •Pour a dry white Burgundy or a lightly chilled Beaujolais. Avoid a heavily tannic red, which turns hard and metallic beside cold aspic.

Advance Preparation

• •The veal, blanched vegetables, and aspic can be prepared separately up to 24 hours ahead. Keep everything covered and cold, then warm the aspic only enough to return it to a fluid state before assembling.
• •The filled moulds are best completed the day before serving. Unmould them shortly before the meal and keep the platter refrigerated until it goes to the table.
• •Do not freeze the finished cutlets. Freezing fractures the aspic, which releases water and loses its clarity as it thaws.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)