Fricandeau Froid

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4 to 5 quart cocotte or Dutch oven with lid
• •Larding needle, or narrow metal skewer and small sharp knife
• •Parchment paper
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow container for setting the gelée
• •Pastry brush
• •Chilled oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard the veal

   Chill the fatback until firm, then cut it into batons about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick and 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) long. Using a larding needle, or a narrow metal skewer followed by the tip of a small knife, make parallel channels through the upper third of the veal, following its length and spacing them about 3/4 inch (2 cm) apart. Draw or push one baton into each channel, leaving tiny points of fat visible across the presentation face. If the fat bends or smears, stop and chill it for ten minutes; cold fat passes cleanly, while warm fat makes ragged holes. Season the veal all over with the salt and pepper.

   Ask for fresh unsmoked fatback, not bacon. Smoke would dominate the delicate veal and darken the clean flavor of the gelée.
2. 2

   Build the braising bed

   Heat the butter in a heavy cocotte over medium heat until its foam subsides. Lay in the veal with the larded face kept upward, then brown the underside and sides to a steady bronze without scorching the butter. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the same pot and cook until softened and lightly colored, scraping across the pot floor so the vegetables gather up the fond. Deep blond is enough here; a burnt fond will make the jelly bitter and muddy.

3. 3

   Braise at a tremble

   Pour in the wine and reduce it by half, scraping up every remaining browned speck. Add the stock and bouquet garni, then bring the liquor to a bare simmer. Set the veal on the vegetables with its larded face upward; the liquid should reach about halfway up the meat. Cover the surface with a round of parchment, put on the lid, and braise in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Baste the larded top every thirty minutes. The liquor must only tremble. If it boils hard, lower the oven and add a little hot stock, because violent heat tightens the veal and clouds the gelée. The meat is ready when a thin knife enters with little resistance but the piece still holds its shape.

4. 4

   Strain and cool separately

   Lift the veal onto a rimmed tray and leave it undisturbed for twenty minutes. Strain the braising liquor through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan without pressing the vegetables; pressing forces pulp and grease through with the good liquor. Let it stand for five minutes, skim every visible trace of fat, then simmer until reduced to about 2 cups (480 ml). Taste it. It should be clear, concentrated, and a little more strongly seasoned than you would serve hot, because the cold softens salt and aroma. Pour it into a shallow container. Refrigerate the veal and liquor separately as soon as their fierce heat has passed, loosely covered at first, then covered fully once cold. Chill for at least six hours, preferably overnight.

   Keeping the meat and liquor separate speeds safe cooling and lets you remove the final cap of fat cleanly before the gelée is served.
5. 5

   Judge the gelée

   Lift away the solid fat from the chilled liquor and blot any remaining beads from its surface. The gelée should be clear amber, firm enough to cut, and soft enough to quiver. If it only slumps, bloom half the powdered gelatin in half the cold water; if the liquor remains liquid, bloom the full amount in all the water. Melt the braising liquor over gentle heat without boiling, whisk in the bloomed gelatin until dissolved, strain it once more, and chill for at least four hours. Ça se rattrape. Gelatin is the home correction for a stock that lacked the body supplied by the classical stockpot, not a replacement for reducing and degreasing the liquor properly.

6. 6

   Glaze and dish

   Set the fricandeau on a chilled oval platter. Roughly cut about three-quarters of the gelée and arrange it generously around the meat. Place the remainder in a small bowl over barely warm water and stir only until it is half-melted, loose enough to spread but still thick enough to cling. Brush a thin coat over the cold larded top and sides, let it set for three minutes in the refrigerator, then brush on a second coat. If the glaze runs onto the platter, it is too warm; chill it for five minutes and begin again. Slice the fricandeau across the grain about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick at the table, keeping a spoonful of gelée beside every portion. The jelly is the finest adjunct here, exactly as the dish intends. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for a single thick piece from the veal noix, or top round, rather than thin scallops. Tenderloin is the wrong economy here: it does not need braising, and it lacks the broad, firm shape a fricandeau should hold when cold.
• •Test the stock before cooking by chilling a spoonful for twenty minutes. If it firms, it can make a natural gelée after reduction. If it stays watery, keep the optional gelatin ready; the rescue is honest, but the braising liquor must still be reduced and completely cleared of grease.
• •Do not substitute smoked bacon for fatback. The larding is there to baste a lean cut from within and mark the top with small ivory points, not to turn the whole dish smoky.
• •Serve the fricandeau directly from a chilled platter, but let each slice stand for five minutes before eating so the veal relaxes while the gelée remains intact. A dry white Burgundy or a lightly chilled Beaujolais has enough freshness for the cold meat and its concentrated liquor.

Advance Preparation

• •Braise the veal and chill it with the strained liquor one day before serving. The cold rest firms the meat for clean slicing and gives the braising liquor time to reveal whether it will set naturally.
• •The gelée may be corrected and reset a day ahead. Keep it covered once firm so it does not absorb refrigerator aromas.
• •Glaze the fricandeau up to two hours before luncheon and return it to the refrigerator uncovered until the surface sets. Cover it loosely afterward so the jelly remains glossy.
• •Leftover fricandeau keeps for up to three days under refrigeration. Store the meat and gelée together so the cut surface does not dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)