Selle de Veau à la Metternich

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large oval lidded braising pan or 7 to 8-quart cocotte
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •16-inch (40 cm) broiler-safe oval serving platter
• •Small sharp boning knife and broad serving slice
• •Fine-mesh sieve and fat separator
• •3-cup (720 ml) timbale mold or heatproof bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the saddle

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the saddle completely dry and tie it at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals if the butcher has not already done so. Season it with 2 teaspoons of the salt and ¾ teaspoon of the white pepper. Melt the browning butter in a large oval braising pan over medium-high heat; when the foam subsides, brown the saddle deeply on every accessible surface, turning it only when the meat releases cleanly, 12 to 15 minutes in all. Pale veal gives the braising liquor very little character, so let it take a proper Maillard bronze without burning the butter.

   The correct cut matters. Ask the butcher to leave both loins attached to the central chine, trim the saddle neatly, and saw the underside bones where necessary without loosening the fillets.
2. 2

   Build the braise

   Lift the browned saddle onto a tray and lower the heat to medium. Add the roughly chopped onion, carrot, and celery, then cook them in the same butter for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring until their edges color. Pour in a splash from the measured stock and scrape every patch of fond from the pan floor. Return the saddle bone-side down, add the bouquet garni, and pour 3¼ cups (780 ml / 780 g) of the stock around it. The liquid should rise roughly one-third of the way up the meat. Bring it only to a tremble, cover tightly, and place it in the oven.

3. 3

   Braise just shy

   Braise for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, basting once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest loin without touching bone registers 132 to 135°F (56 to 57°C). Time is only a guide because saddles vary enormously. Pull it at the thermometer reading, even if the clock argues; the carving and fierce glaze will finish the meat. If you braise it to serving temperature now, the collops will be dry by the time they reach the table.

4. 4

   Make paprika Béchamel

   While the saddle braises, melt the Béchamel butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes without allowing the roux to color. Stir in the paprika for no more than 10 seconds, then whisk in the warm milk gradually, making each addition smooth before adding the next. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring into the corners, until the Béchamel holds a heavy ribbon and coats a spoon without running off. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon white pepper. If it lumps, pass it through a fine sieve. If it grows too thick, whisk in a spoonful of milk. If the bottom catches, pour the clean sauce into another pan without scraping the scorched layer. Cover its surface directly with buttered parchment and keep it warm.

5. 5

   Cook the pilaff

   Begin the pilaff about 30 minutes before the saddle is expected to finish. Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of its butter in a small heavy saucepan, add the finely minced onion, and soften it without color for 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir until every grain is glossy and its edges look translucent, the classical nacrer, or pearling, that helps the grains remain distinct. Add the remaining 1¾ cups (420 ml / 420 g) stock, the bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and cook over the lowest heat for 16 to 18 minutes. Rest off the heat for 10 minutes. If the rice is still firm and dry, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) stock or water, cover, and leave it over low heat for another 5 minutes.

6. 6

   Reduce the braising liquor

   Lift the saddle directly onto the broiler-safe serving platter and cover it loosely while it rests. Strain the braising liquor into a wide saucepan without pressing the vegetables, discard the bouquet garni and vegetables, then remove every visible trace of fat with a spoon or fat separator. Boil the cleared liquor until it reduces to about 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g), turns glossy, and tastes distinctly of veal, 12 to 20 minutes. If the salt becomes forceful before the liquor has reduced enough, stop. Ça se rattrape: loosen it with a little unsalted stock or water and serve a slightly larger quantity rather than concentrating it further.

7. 7

   Lift and collop fillets

   Remove the twine. With the point of a small sharp knife, draw a line ½ inch (1.25 cm) inside the extreme edge along both sides and ends of the saddle, then draw another line down either side of the chine. Follow the bones closely and lift each long fillet away in one piece. Cut the fillets on a slight slant into regular collops about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Lay them down in their original order and orientation as you work. Do not gather them into a pile. Their sequence is the map for rebuilding the saddle.

8. 8

   Reconstruct the saddle

   Rewarm the Béchamel gently if necessary. Spread about 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 47 g) in each of the two cavities left by the fillets. Return the collops to their respective sides in their original order, setting them close enough to make each loin appear whole. Between every pair of collops, spoon ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml / about 8 g) Béchamel and tuck in two paper-thin truffle slices, exactly as the composition requires. If a collop splits, place the pieces back together in sequence and bind the seam with Béchamel. Once coated, nobody at the table will know. Press the reconstructed loins gently into shape.

9. 9

   Glaze under fierce heat

   Heat the broiler fully and set a rack 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) below it. The remaining Béchamel must be thick enough to cling in a generous coat. Cover the entire upper surface of the reconstructed saddle, including the collops and exposed edges, then broil for 2 to 4 minutes, watching without interruption, until the sauce is glossy, lightly blistered, and spotted with deep gold. If the coating slides into the platter, pull it out at once, scrape the pooled sauce into a pan, simmer it until it holds a heavy ribbon, and recoat. Check that the center of the meat reaches 145°F (63°C), then rest it for 3 minutes. If it is short of that temperature, finish it in a 300°F (150°C) oven in 5-minute intervals, shielding the glaze loosely with foil.

10. 10

    Serve the three parts

    Butter a warm 3-cup (720 ml) bowl with the remaining ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml / 7 g) butter. Discard the bay leaf, fluff the pilaff with a fork, and pack it lightly into the bowl; invert it onto a separate warm serving dish. Pour the reduced braising liquor into a warmed sauceboat. Bring the glazed saddle to the table on its platter and lift the collops with a broad serving slice, offering the liquor and pilaff separately as the original service requires. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order the saddle from a proper butcher. A rolled veal loin cannot reproduce the double cavity, chine, and reconstruction that define Metternich, though it can still make a handsome braise under another name.
• •Use sweet paprika, not smoked paprika. The paprika should warm the Béchamel with color and a gentle peppery note; smoke would take command of the veal and truffle.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when available, but a good preserved whole truffle is the honest classical pantry answer. Drain it well and slice it as thinly as your knife allows. Truffle oil does not provide the slices or the restrained earthy bite this construction needs.
• •The Béchamel must be thicker than one intended for pouring. It acts as sauce, adhesive, and glazing coat at once. Keep milk nearby so you can correct it by spoonfuls without making it loose.
• •Pour a mature red Burgundy or a broad white Burgundy. Either has enough depth for the veal and truffle without flattening the paprika under heavy tannin.

Advance Preparation

• •Ask the butcher for the saddle several days ahead, since this is rarely a cut waiting in the display case. Have it trimmed and tied, but insist that both fillets remain attached to the chine.
• •The paprika Béchamel can be made one day ahead. Press buttered parchment directly onto its surface, chill it, and reheat over low heat with enough milk to restore the heavy ribbon.
• •The vegetables can be chopped and the stock measured earlier in the day. Slice the truffle only shortly before assembly so its perfume remains in the dish rather than on the cutting board.
• •Do not reconstruct and coat the saddle in advance. The Béchamel settles between the collops and loses the clean glaze you worked for; complete those final steps only when the broiler is hot and the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)