Selle de Veau Prince Orloff

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart heavy casserole or oval Dutch oven with lid
• •2-quart shallow broiler-safe gratin dish
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sharp slicing knife
• •Fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the veal

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the veal completely dry and season it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper, pressing the seasoning over every surface. Let it stand for twenty minutes while the oven heats. Butter a shallow, broiler-safe gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set it aside.

   An evenly tied roast cooks evenly and later gives neat collops. If one end is markedly thinner, fold it under before tying or ask the butcher to do it.
2. 2

   Brown the saddle

   Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, brown the veal on every side, including both ends, until it wears an even hazelnut-colored crust, about ten minutes. Turn it only when each surface releases willingly. This fond is the braise's foundation; pale veal gives the stock very little to carry.

3. 3

   Build the braise

   Lift the veal out briefly. Add the onion and carrot to the casserole and cook them in the butter and fond for five minutes, stirring until their edges color. Return the veal, tuck in the bouquet garni, and pour the stock around it, not over its crust. The liquid should reach roughly one-third of the way up the meat. Bring it just to a simmer, cover, and transfer it to the oven.

4. 4

   Braise it gently

   Braise for 55 to 75 minutes, turning the veal once, until its center reaches 138 to 140°F (59 to 60°C). The liquid must barely tremble. If it boils hard, lower the oven by 25°F (15°C) and leave the lid slightly ajar; if the casserole begins to dry, add hot stock a quarter cup at a time. Ça se rattrape. Lift the veal onto a board, tent it loosely, and rest it for fifteen minutes. Strain the braising liquor and reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) for correcting the sauces if needed.

5. 5

   Ready the sauces

   Set aside 1/2 cup (120 ml / 120 g) of the Sauce Soubise for the collops. Combine the remaining 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) Sauce Soubise with the Sauce Mornay in a saucepan and warm it over gentle heat, stirring often. It must coat a spoon in a thick, unbroken layer. If it is too tight, add reserved braising liquor one tablespoon at a time; if it runs freely, simmer it gently until it holds. Taste and use the remaining salt and pepper only if needed.

6. 6

   Layer the collops

   Remove the strings and cut the veal across the grain into ten or twelve collops, neat slices about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick, keeping them in their original order. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the reserved Sauce Soubise on each cut face and place a fine slice of truffle over it. Reassemble the collops snugly in the buttered gratin dish, overlapping them just enough to hold the roast's original shape. Work while everything is warm so the layers adhere.

7. 7

   Butter the asparagus

   Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus tips and cook until vivid green and just tender, two to four minutes depending on thickness. Drain them thoroughly, return them to the dry warm pan, and roll them in the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cover and hold them off the heat while the veal is glazed.

8. 8

   Mask and glaze

   Heat the broiler fully and place a rack about 6 inches (15 cm) below it. Spoon the hot Mornay-Soubise mixture over the re-formed veal, masking the top and sides in an even coat. Broil for two to four minutes, watching without interruption, until the surface blisters and turns spotted gold and the veal reaches at least 145°F (63°C). If the sauce slides off before it colors, remove the dish at once, scrape the coating into the saucepan, simmer until thicker, and mask again. Ça se rattrape. Arrange the buttered asparagus beside the veal and serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for a center-cut veal loin that can be tied into an even cylinder. A whole saddle is too large for four and awkward in a home oven; the loin preserves the tender fillet and the dish's sliced construction without carrying banquet scaffolding to your table.
• •Both finished sauces must be thick before assembly. The Sauce Soubise should sit on a slice without running, and the Mornay-Soubise coating should nap the spoon heavily. Thin sauce makes the collops slide and leaves the broiler nothing to glaze.
• •Use an actual truffle, fresh when the season is kind or a good whole preserved truffle when it isn't. Truffle oil cannot make the fine dark seams the source requires, and its perfume turns harsh beneath the broiler.
• •The source permits cucumbers with cream instead of asparagus. Peel and seed two cucumbers, salt and drain them, then cook them gently in butter and finish with cream until just coated. Choose this accompaniment when asparagus is tired or out of season.
• •Pour a full-bodied white Burgundy or a restrained mature red with this. The wine needs enough structure for truffle and cheese, but not so much weight that the veal disappears.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Sauce Soubise and Sauce Mornay up to two days ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Reheat them over gentle heat, loosening only with a spoonful of reserved braising liquor if necessary.
• •The veal can be braised earlier in the day and held whole with a little strained braising liquor. Rewarm it gently before slicing so the collops and sauces meet while hot.
• •The veal may be layered and masked up to four hours before serving. Refrigerate it covered, then warm it in a 325°F (165°C) oven until the center approaches 140°F (60°C) before giving it the rapid final glaze.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 490g)