What's Pressoir Cooking
February 18, 2022
by Justine Puaud
The famous blanquette de veau
A traditional French veal stew
Edouard and Daniel spent this week in Burgundy visiting winemakers in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits and tasting the fantastic 2020 vintage. For their last evening in Burgundy, they came to my place and had the privilege to eat my husband’s “madeleine de Proust”* - blanquette de veau.
We were lucky to have two young winemakers with us - Camille Thiriet and Thibaud Clerget. Camille is a passionate and talented winemaker who started to make wine in a garage in 2016. She now produces fantastic red and white wines from the Côte de Nuits. Thibaud of Domaine Yvon Clerget is based in Volnay. Antonio Galloni has said “the reborn Domaine Y. Clerget could very well turn out to be one of the great recent success stories in Burgundy”, so bravo to Thibaud!
*’La madeleine de Proust’ is a French expression used to describe smells, tastes, sounds or any sensations reminding one of childhood or simply bringing back emotional memories from a long time ago.
The origin of the term “blanquette” comes from the color of the white sauce that coats the stew meat.
Ingredients for 6 people
1 liter of cooking white wine
2 lbs veal , shoulder, chest or flank, cut into large cubes
1 onion , poked with whole cloves
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf, sage)
4 carrots , cut into large sections
1 cup dry white wine
10 oz. mushrooms , quartered
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup flour
¾ cup creme fraiche
½ lemon , juiced
3 egg yolks
Instructions
Put the meat cubes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and add salt.
Skim regularly at the surface so that the broth becomes clear. After 20 minutes, add the onion stuck with cloves and the bouquet garni.
Simmer for another 20 minutes, then add carrots and wine.
Continue to simmer uncovered over low heat for another 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Add a little water during cooking if necessary. Remove the onion and the bouquet garni.
Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in a frying pan for 2 minutes with a knob of butter. Add salt, pepper, a ladle of broth and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Sauce (prepare a few minutes before serving).
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour while whisking over low heat for 5 minutes.
Gradually add cooking broth while whisking until a reaching a thick sauce consistency.
Add creme fraiche as well as lemon juice, and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
Take saucepan off the heat and add egg yolks. Whisk well to incorporate. Add this sauce back to the pan with the meat and vegetables. Add the mushrooms and gently stir to incorporate everything.
Immediately serve the blanquette with rice.
Wine pairing
We opened a few Pinot Noirs and finished with a Nebbiollo. 2019 is a really promising vintage. It is fresh and juicy. I really enjoyed the Chassagne Premier Cru “Clos de la Boudriotte” rouge from Domaine Ramonet. It smells of black fruit, boosted with an almost spiced note. Its fruit is pure and intense with a powerful tannic structure that firms up the finish.
