This magnificent dish, which is one of the favorite dishes of the French, would originally (in the Middle Ages) be a way of accommodating leftover roast veal.
To prevent it from being dry, it was served with a white sauce, explains Jean-Louis Flandrin in his book: "Blanquette of veal, history of a bourgeois dish".
Several regions or cities claim its creation: Normandy, Poitou or Lyon.
The first recipe appeared in 1735 in "Le Cuisinier Moderne" by Vincent de la Chapelle.
Originally, the dish was very simple: leftover roast veal served with a broth and cream sauce, bound in flour and egg yolks.
The whole thing is served with baby onions and button mushrooms.
It is an appetizer.
The recipe will evolve, with an important turning point in the 19th century, the leftovers are replaced by raw poached meat, the sauce becomes lighter and the blanquette takes on its current form.
The recipe:
Ingredients for 4 people
- 800 g of simmering veal (shoulder)
- About 20 baby onions
- 2 carrots
- 400 g of Paris mushrooms
- 25 cl of liquid cream
- 1/2 liter of vegetables
- 10 cl of white wine
- 2 tbsp of flour
- 1 lemon
- Salt / pepper
Blanch the pieces of meat for 1 minute in boiling water / drain them and brown them in a casserole dish with butter / sprinkle with flour / add the cut carrots and small cubes / Add the wine and the broth / Simmer 30 min / add the mushrooms cut into 4 and the baby onions / simmer and reduce for another 30 min / add a nice dash of lemon juice / rectify