Blanquette de veau () is a French veal stew. In the classic version of the dish the meat is simmered in a white stock and served in a sauce velouté enriched with cream and egg.
Definition The Oxford Companion to Food describes "blanquette" as "a French and to some extent international culinary term indicating a dish of white meat (veal, poultry, also lamb) served in a white sauce".Davidson, pp. 80–81 In the Larousse gastronomique, Prosper Montagné's definition is "the French term for a ragout of white meat (veal, lamb or poultry) cooked in a white stock or water with aromatic flavourings".Montagné, p. 125
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck describe blanquette de veau as "a much-loved stew in France … veal simmered in a lightly seasoned white stock … served in a sauce velouté made from the veal cooking stock and enriched with cream and egg yolks".Child et al, p. 383 In 2007 Anne Willan wrote that French television had recently conducted a poll of favourite meat dishes in which "Blanquette de veau was in the top five, with steak frites and gigot d'agneau [leg of lamb]".
Ingredients The name "blanquette" derives from "blanc", the French word for white, and there is a purist view that the whiteness of the dish is key, and coloured vegetables such as carrots should not be included. In the words of Anthony Bourdain:
Some cooks, such as Willan, share Bourdain's view, but numerous cooks from Auguste Escoffier (1907) onwards have included carrots in their recipes for blanquette de veau, though in many cases the carrot is removed prior to serving.Beard, p. 276; Berry, p. 78; Bocuse, p. 77; Brazier, p. 188; Carrier, p. 196; Claiborne, p. 134; Escoffier, p. 692; Field, p. 179; Grigson, p. 205; Guérard, p. 202; Pomiane. p. 225; Robuchon, pp. 156–157; and Roux, p. 150
Child, Bertholle and Beck list six suitable cuts of veal for a blanquette: poitrine (breast), haute de côtes (short ribs), épaule (shoulder), côtes découvertes (middle neck) and gîte/jarret (knuckle).Child et al, p. 381 Other cooks and food writers have differed in their recommended cuts for the dish:
Cook/writerRecommended cutJames Beard shoulder Beard, p. 276 Mary Berry shoulder Berry, p. 78 Paul Bocuse flank and tendron Bocuse, p. 77 Anthony Bourdain neck or shoulder Bourdain, p. 142 Eugénie Brazier mixture of breast and collar Brazier, p. 188 Robert Carrier shoulder or breast Carrier, p. 196 Craig Claiborne shoulder Claiborne, p. 134 Auguste Escoffier breast, shoulder and collar ribs Escoffier, p. 692 Michael Field leg or rump Field, p. 179 Jane Grigson shoulder Grigson, p. 205 Michel Guérard shoulder Guérard, p. 202 Edouard de Pomaine breast Pomiane. p. 225 Joël Robuchon collar, shoulder or knuckle, and either tendron or breast Robuchon, pp. 156–157 Michel Roux, Jr. breast Roux, p. 150 Louis Saulnier shoulder or tendron Saulnier, p. 171 Anne Willan shoulder Willan, p. 147David Leite(chicken) breast In older recipes the veal was roasted and allowed to go cold before being sliced or chopped, covered in a white sauce and reheated.Francatelli, p. 260 Eliza Acton's 1858 recipe includes mushrooms gently sautéed in butter and served over the veal with "sauce tournée" (also called velouté).Acton, p. 273 There was at one time some question of how blanquettes were to be distinguished from fricassées. In 1960 The Times commented:
According to Montagné, blanquette de veau is usually served with rice à la créole but may also be served with celeriac, halved celery hearts, carrots, braised parsnips or leeks, braised cucumber, braised lettuce or lettuce hearts. Pasta or potatoes are sometimes served instead of rice, and Escoffier recommends noodles.
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See also Cuisine of France List of stews List of veal dishes