Selle de Veau à la Talleyrand

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart oval Dutch oven with lid
• •Narrow paring knife
• •Butcher's twine
• •Parchment paper for a cartouche
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Fat separator or shallow skimming spoon
• •Wide saucepan for reduction
• •Kitchen shears or chef's knife
• •Oval serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the truffles

   Dry the truffles well. Cut four sturdy studs, each about 1 inch long and roughly ⅓ oz (9 g), for a total of 1⅓ oz (38 g). Cut another 1½ oz (43 g) julienne-fashion, into matchstick rods, for the macaroni. Keep the studs and julienne separate and cold; reserve any small trim for another sauce or omelette.

   Whole preserved black truffles are the honest classical-pantry answer when fresh truffles are out of season. Drain and dry them thoroughly so the studs hold their shape inside the veal.
2. 2

   Stud and bard

   Pat the raw veal dry. With the tip of a narrow paring knife, make four deep, upright incisions at symmetrical intervals along the joint, each only wide enough to admit a truffle stud. Push the studs fully into the meat until their ends sit flush with the surface. Season the joint with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt and all the pepper, then bard it, covering it completely with overlapping slices of larding bacon. Tie securely at 1-inch intervals. If an incision opens or a stud feels loose, press the meat closed and place a bacon strip directly over it before tying. Ça se rattrape; the barding will hold it in place.

3. 3

   Build the braise

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). If the stock lacks body, sprinkle the optional gelatin over the cold stock and leave it for 5 minutes before warming it. Melt the braising butter in a close-fitting Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. This mirepoix, the diced aromatic base, supports the liquor without turning it into vegetable stew. Add the wine and reduce it by half. Set the barded veal on the mirepoix, add the bouquet garni, and pour in enough warm stock to reach between one-third and halfway up the joint.

4. 4

   Braise at a tremble

   Cover the surface with a parchment cartouche, fit the lid, and transfer the pot to the oven. Braise for 65 to 90 minutes, turning the joint once and basting it every 20 minutes, until the liquor barely trembles and the center of the veal registers 136 to 140°F (58 to 60°C). A hard boil tightens the loin and clouds the liquor. If you find the pot bubbling fiercely, lower the oven by 25°F (15°C) and add a little hot stock to replace what evaporated. The meat is still finished during glazing, so do not chase its final temperature here.

5. 5

   Clear and reduce

   Lift the veal onto a tray. Remove the string and bacon carefully, then cover the joint loosely while it rests. Strain the braising liquor through a fine sieve without pressing the vegetables, discard the solids, and clear the liquid of all visible grease with a fat separator or a shallow spoon. Pour it into a wide saucepan and boil steadily until reduced to about 1¼ cups (300 ml), glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not season until it is reduced. If the surface still looks greasy, stop and skim again; if it remains thin, continue reducing. Ça se rattrape, but grease must be removed before the liquor can glaze.

6. 6

   Cook and cut macaroni

   While the liquor reduces, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it with the remaining salt. Cook the straight macaroni until tender but still resilient at the center. Reserve ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of its cooking water, drain thoroughly, then gather the tubes into small bundles and cut them crosswise into ½-inch lengths with a knife or kitchen shears. Keep them warm.

7. 7

   Bind the garnish

   Melt the macaroni butter in a wide pan over low heat. Add the cut macaroni and 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the reserved cooking water, tossing until every piece shines. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Gruyère and Parmesan, stirring until the butter, starch, and cheese lient, bind, the macaroni into a soft coherent mass. Fold in the julienne of truffle and the chilled foie gras dice at the last moment, gently enough to leave the foie gras in generous pieces. If the cheese turns oily or stringy, take the pan fully off the heat and stir in hot cooking water one teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. Cream does not belong here; the book's butter-to-cheese ratio makes the binding.

8. 8

   Glaze the saddle

   Raise the oven to 475°F (245°C) and place a rack in its upper third. Blot the veal's surface dry, brush it with a thin coat of reduced braising liquor, and return it uncovered to the oven for 2 minutes. Brush again and repeat until the joint carries a deep, even gloss and its center reaches at least 145°F (63°C), usually 4 to 7 minutes altogether. This is the home equivalent of the salamander. If the glaze slides off, it is still too thin or fatty: skim and reduce it briefly, then brush again. Rest the glazed veal for 10 minutes.

9. 9

   Dish and serve

   Spoon a little reduced braising liquor onto a warmed oval platter and set the whole glazed saddle over it. Bring it to the table intact, then carve it crosswise so the dark truffle studs show clearly in the pale veal. Pass the remaining liquor separately in a warm sauceboat and the Talleyrand macaroni in its own heated serving bowl, exactly as the dish requires. One joint, one sauce, one magnificent garnish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The truffle is structural here, not a background perfume. Fresh black truffle is splendid in season; outside it, buy whole preserved black truffles with a firm texture. Truffle oil cannot make the studs or julienne the dish requires.
• •Ask the butcher for an even, boneless piece from the saddle or center loin, about 3 lb (1.35 kg), left untied. A rolled shoulder has the wrong grain and connective tissue for this preparation.
• •Use cooked foie gras terrine, thoroughly chilled, rather than raw foie gras. Raw liver renders into the macaroni; cold terrine softens at the edges while keeping the large dice prescribed by the dish.
• •Larding bacon means thin, unsmoked fatback or unsmoked bacon. Smoked breakfast bacon overwhelms the truffle. The wrapping protects the lean veal during braising and is removed before glazing.
• •Use unsalted, gelatin-rich stock. Reduction concentrates every grain of salt, and a heavily salted carton can become harsh before the liquor reaches its proper gloss.
• •A mature red Bordeaux or a structured white Burgundy has enough depth for truffle and foie gras without bullying the veal. Serve the wine cool rather than warm.
• •Refrigerate leftover veal and sauce separately for up to 2 days. Reheat the sauce gently and serve the veal at room temperature or barely warmed; repeated hard heating dries this cut.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the truffle studs and julienne, dice the foie gras, grate the cheeses, and prepare the mirepoix up to 8 hours ahead. Keep each component separately covered and refrigerated.
• •The veal may be studded, barded, and tied up to 8 hours before cooking. Refrigerate it, then let it stand outside the cold for 30 minutes before it enters the braise.
• •Plan for the veal to leave the braise about 30 minutes before service. That interval is enough to clear and reduce the liquor, bind the macaroni, and give the joint its final glaze without holding it until it dries.
• •Do not finish the macaroni in advance. It takes only minutes, and reheating melts the foie gras completely while tightening the cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)