Noix de Veau en Surprise à la Macédoine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart heavy cocotte with lid
• •4-quart saucepan
• •10 to 12-inch skillet
• •Small sharp boning or utility knife
• •Sturdy tablespoon
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Ovenproof oval serving dish
• •Kitchen string
• •Sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the veal

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Take the veal from the cold for 30 minutes, then dry it thoroughly. Season every surface with 2 teaspoons of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the white pepper. Keep the roast tied into a compact cushion; a loose or flattened joint cannot support the hollow case.

2. 2

   Brown every surface

   Heat the clarified butter in a snug 5 to 6-quart cocotte over medium-high heat. Brown the veal patiently on every surface, including both ends, until it wears a deep hazelnut crust, about 10 minutes. Lift it out. If the fond on the pot floor turns black rather than brown, wipe away the burnt patches and add a little fresh butter before continuing. Burnt fond cannot build a good liquor, but the dish is still entirely recoverable.

3. 3

   Build the braise

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the sliced onion and braising carrot, cooking for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and lightly colored. Return the veal and add the bouquet garni. Reserve ¼ cup of the stock for the macédoine and later adjustments, then pour the remainder around the meat, scraping every brown trace from the pot floor. The liquid should reach about halfway up the cushion. Bring it only to a bare tremble, cover, and transfer the cocotte to the oven.

4. 4

   Make the macédoine

   While the veal braises, bring a saucepan of water to a boil and season it with the remaining salt. Add the diced carrot and turnip. After 3 minutes add the green beans, then add the peas 2 minutes later and cook everything for 1 final minute. The dice should be tender but still hold their square edges. Drain very well and spread them briefly on a clean towel; wet vegetables would flood the case. Melt the macédoine butter in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of the reserved stock. Swirl until the butter and stock form a glossy emulsion, then add the vegetables and toss over medium heat until every dice glistens and no liquid remains in the pan. Season with the remaining white pepper. If the butter separates into an oily pool, pull the skillet from the heat and swirl in a teaspoon of cold reserved stock. The emulsion will gather again.

5. 5

   Stop while sliceable

   Baste the veal every 30 minutes and keep the braise at the faintest tremble. Begin checking after 75 minutes. It is ready when a thin skewer enters with light resistance and the centre registers 155 to 158°F (68 to 70°C), usually after 85 to 100 minutes. Do not wait for fork-tender collapse. This cushion must eat tenderly while retaining enough structure to become its own case. Transfer it to a board and rest it for 20 minutes.

6. 6

   Finish the liquor

   While the veal rests, strain the braising liquor into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables lightly, then skim away excess fat. Boil steadily until reduced to about 1¼ cups (300 ml), glossy and just thick enough to leave a light film on a spoon. It should remain a liquor, not become gravy. Take it from the heat and whisk in the cold butter. If it tightens too far, loosen it with the reserved stock; if the butter beads on the surface, whisk in a teaspoon of cold stock off the heat until the emulsion returns. Keep the liquor warm for the sauceboat.

7. 7

   Hollow the cushion

   Remove the string and place the rested veal broad side down. Cut a horizontal lid about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick from the top, keeping it intact and noting its position. With a small sharp knife, outline a cavity while leaving an even ⅝-inch (1.5 cm) wall and base. Crosscut the centre into large blocks and lift them out carefully with a sturdy spoon. Cut all the withdrawn meat across the grain into thin rectangles about 2 by 1 inch (5 by 2.5 cm) and ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, using smaller pieces to complete the ends of each layer. If a wall cracks, don't discard the case. Ça se rattrape: set the cushion snugly in its ovenproof serving dish and loop kitchen string gently around the outside. The string will hold the shape during warming and can be slipped away before serving.

   Work with short, shallow knife strokes. A deep sweeping cut is more likely to pierce the base, and the even wall matters more than a perfectly smooth cavity.
8. 8

   Layer and warm

   Spread a thin layer of macédoine over the bottom of the cavity. Cover it with a close layer of veal rectangles, then repeat the macédoine and meat layers until every piece of withdrawn veal has returned to the case. Finish with macédoine and replace the lid. Spread each vegetable layer thinly and never ram the filling down; the lid may sit slightly proud, which is exactly right. Set the filled cushion in an ovenproof oval serving dish and cover it loosely with parchment and foil. Warm it in the 325°F (165°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes, only until the centre is hot. Further cooking would dry the shell. Remove any supporting string, carry the cushion whole to the table, and send the warm braising liquor separately in a sauceboat. Lift the lid to show the layers, then cut the cushion crosswise into four generous portions. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for one compact, single-muscle veal top round, called noix, tied into a squat oval. A flat escalope cut or a rolled roast made from several pieces will separate when hollowed.
• •Light veal stock gives the liquor its fullest body. Unsalted chicken stock is the honest home equivalent when there is no veal stockpot quietly waiting, though the finished liquor will be a shade lighter.
• •The source permits the macédoine to be bound with butter or cream. Butter is chosen here because it leaves the colored dice distinct and makes cleaner layers when the cushion is cut. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Frozen peas are preferable to large, tired fresh peas outside their proper season. They were preserved young, stay green, and meet the classical pantry's standard without pretending the garden is in season.
• •Do not put the filled cushion under a broiler. The goal is a warmed case with tender walls, not a scorched lid. Serve it with the sauceboat, simple buttered potatoes if wanted, and a restrained white Burgundy or light Loire red.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 2 days. Reheat covered with a spoonful of braising liquor at 300°F (150°C) so the veal does not dry.

Advance Preparation

• •The onion, carrots, turnip, and green beans can be cut up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated separately in covered containers. Keep the macédoine dice uniform so they cook together.
• •The veal can be braised up to 1 day ahead and cooled in its liquor before chilling. Hollow and slice it while cold, layer it with chilled macédoine, then warm the covered cushion at 300°F (150°C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Strain, degrease, and reduce the liquor while the filled cushion reheats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)