French recipe

Blanquette de Veau

Name: Blanquette de Veau
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 25 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French cuisine
Ingredients: 1 kg boneless veal shoulder, cut into 4 cm cubes; 3 L water, divided equally for blanching and poaching; 150 ml dry white wine; 250 g carrots, cut into 2 cm rounds; 180 g leek whites, washed between layers and cut into 4 cm pieces; 150 g onion, peeled and halved; 2 whole cloves, pressed into the onion; 80 g celery stalk, cut into large pieces; 10 g garlic cloves, peeled; 2 g fresh thyme sprigs; 1 bay leaf; 250 g button mushrooms, quartered; 50 g unsalted butter, divided 10 g for mushrooms and 40 g for roux; 40 g plain flour; 150 ml heavy cream; 2 large egg yolks; 20 ml fresh lemon juice; 6 g fine salt, divided 4 g for stock and 2 g for finishing; 2 g freshly ground black pepper, for finishing; 600 g cooked white rice, for serving

Tender veal, carrots, leek and mushrooms in a pale stock-based cream sauce, enriched carefully with egg yolks and lemon and served over rice.

France

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 2 hr 25 min
Total: 2 hr 50 min
Servings: 4

Veal, carrots and mushrooms in pale cream sauce with rice and black pepper — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Sebring12HrsSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 4.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1 kg
boneless veal shoulder, cut into 4 cm cubes
3 L
water, divided equally for blanching and poaching
150 ml
dry white wine
250 g
carrots, cut into 2 cm rounds
180 g
leek whites, washed between layers and cut into 4 cm pieces
150 g
onion, peeled and halved
2
whole cloves, pressed into the onion
80 g
celery stalk, cut into large pieces
10 g
garlic cloves, peeled
2 g
fresh thyme sprigs
1
bay leaf
250 g
button mushrooms, quartered
50 g
unsalted butter, divided 10 g for mushrooms and 40 g for roux
40 g
plain flour
150 ml
heavy cream
2
large egg yolks
20 ml
fresh lemon juice
6 g
fine salt, divided 4 g for stock and 2 g for finishing
2 g
freshly ground black pepper, for finishing
600 g
cooked white rice, for serving

Method

01
Prepare meat and aromatics
Cut veal into 4 cm cubes and trim only tough silverskin. Prepare carrots and leek as listed. Press the cloves into the onion halves so they can be removed together later.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Blanch and drain
Cover veal with 1.5 L cold water in a 5 L pot. Bring to a boil, skim and boil 5 minutes. Drain carefully, discard this liquid and wash the pot.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Poach gently
Return veal with the remaining 1.5 L water, wine, vegetables, garlic, herbs and 4 g salt. Bring just to a simmer, cover loosely and cook 90–110 minutes until a fork enters easily; skim as needed.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Cook the mushrooms without browning
Near the end of poaching, put mushrooms, 10 g butter and 50 ml hot broth from the pot in a small pan. Cover and simmer 5–6 minutes until tender, then uncover briefly to reduce the liquid.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Strain the cooking stock
Lift veal, carrots and leek into a covered dish. Discard onion with cloves, celery and whole herbs. Strain the broth and measure 800 ml for the sauce; keep the remainder for another use.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Make a pale roux
Melt the remaining 40 g butter in a clean saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes without colouring; it should look like a smooth pale paste.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Build the velouté
Whisk the measured 800 ml stock into the roux gradually. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring along the base, until smooth and lightly coating a spoon.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Temper the cream and yolks
Whisk yolks, cream and lemon juice in a bowl, then whisk in 100 ml hot sauce. Return to the pan over low heat and stir to 80–82°C for 1 minute; do not boil.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
09
Warm the veal in the sauce
Fold in veal, carrots, leek and mushrooms. Heat gently for 4–5 minutes until the meat reaches 74°C throughout, keeping the sauce below a boil. Taste before adding the reserved 2 g salt.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
10
Serve on warm rice
Warm the prepared rice to 74°C if reheating. Divide between four plates, spoon the blanquette over it and finish with black pepper. Serve promptly while the sauce is smooth and fluid.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Keep the roux pale so the sauce retains its characteristic light colour.
Strain the stock before thickening to remove cloves, herb stems and stray fibres.

Common mistakes

Adding the yolk mixture to boiling sauce can make it grainy; temper it and use low heat.
A rapid boil can toughen the veal; small steady bubbles are enough.

Substitutions

Use 150 ml full-fat crème fraîche instead of heavy cream for a slightly tangier finish.
Serve with 600 g warm boiled potatoes instead of the cooked rice.

Storage

Cool portions promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 1 hour at 0–4°C. Eat within 1 day and reheat once to 74°C throughout.

Cultural context

Blanquette highlights pale poached meat and a stock-based white sauce. This home version retains the carrot and leek and adds a cream-and-yolk liaison before serving.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Blanquette de veau 1 — Photograph by Sebring12Hrs; CC BY-SA 4.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to French recipes

Blanquette de Veau

Ingredients

Method

Prepare meat and aromatics

Blanch and drain

Poach gently

Cook the mushrooms without browning

Strain the cooking stock

Make a pale roux

Build the velouté

Temper the cream and yolks

Warm the veal in the sauce

Serve on warm rice

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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