Tête de Veau (Relevé and Entrée)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Tall 8 to 10-quart (7.5 to 9.5 L) stockpot with lid
• •Food-safe muslin or closely woven cheesecloth
• •Kitchen twine
• •Parchment paper for a cartouche
• •Skimmer and long tongs
• •Thin carving knife and small offset spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Inspect the head

   Keep the boned head flat and cold while you inspect every fold for bone splinters, stray bristles, or clotted blood. Remove only what shouldn't be there; the pale skin, cheek, and gelatinous connective tissue are precisely what you came to cook. Check that the folded head, tongue, and cooking liquid will fit in a tall, fairly narrow pot, because a broad pot makes complete submersion needlessly difficult.

   Ask the butcher to scald, scrape, and bone the head but leave it flat. Soaking reaches the folds more effectively before the meat is bundled for cooking.
2. 2

   Complete the blanching

   Carry out the complete soaking and blanching operation prescribed in Blanchings (No. 273) for both the head and tongue. The soaking water must finish clear, and this entry directs a full 30-minute blanch for the calf's head before both meats are cooled thoroughly in plenty of fresh cold water. If dark blood remains trapped in a fold, return that section to fresh cold water until it clears. Ça se rattrape. The blanc cannot conceal blood that the soaking failed to remove.

3. 3

   Lemon and wrap

   Drain the cooled head well and immediately rub every surface with the cut lemon, working into the folds where air would otherwise darken the skin. Fold the head into a compact, evenly thick packet with the skin facing outward, wrap it firmly in damp food-safe muslin, and secure it with kitchen twine at 2-inch (5 cm) intervals. Keep the tongue separate so you can test and peel it without disturbing the head.

4. 4

   Cook in the blanc

   Bring the Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc (No. 167) to a full boil in the stockpot, stirring from the bottom so its suspended flour is evenly distributed. Lower in the wrapped head and tongue immediately, return the liquid just to the boil, then reduce it to a quiet simmer. Lay a parchment cartouche directly against the surface and cover the pot. Everything must remain beneath the liquid; if a corner appears, baste it at once and replace the cartouche snugly. If the pot is too broad, move to a narrower one rather than diluting the blanc with plain water.

   A hard boil knocks the bundle about and can make the skin ragged. The liquid should move gently around the edges, never heave across the pot.
5. 5

   Judge the tenderness

   Begin checking after 2 hours. A thin skewer should pass through the thickest part of the head with gentle resistance, while the skin remains coherent enough to slice; expect 2½ to 3 hours in all. Test the tongue through its thick end. When it yields, lift it out and peel away the coarse outer skin while it is still warm. If the skin clings, return the tongue to the blanc for 10 minutes and try again. Hold each finished piece submerged in strained cooking liquid off the heat if the other needs longer.

6. 6

   Poach the brain

   At the first tenderness check, complete The Cooking of Brains (No. 1289) exactly according to its own entry. Drain the cooked brain carefully, let it settle for 5 minutes, and cut it crosswise into collops about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Use a thin, sharp knife and lift each collop from beneath with a small spatula; pressure from above crushes its delicate lobes.

7. 7

   Carve and serve

   Lift the head from the blanc, remove the twine and muslin, and carve it across the bundle into generous slices about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Slice the peeled tongue on a slight diagonal. Arrange the head in the center of a warmed oval platter, place the tongue along one side and the brain collops along the other, following the rule that all three reach the table together. Carve only at the last moment so the surfaces stay moist and glossy. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order from an inspected specialist butcher and be exact: a boned half calf's head, scalded and scraped, with the tongue and brain packed separately. Brain sales are regulated differently from place to place, so settle the order before planning the meal.
• •The half head is the honest home-scale change. It feeds four generously while preserving the original textures and method; cutting the preparation down to cheek meat alone would make an easier dish, but it would no longer teach tête de veau.
• •Use a tall, narrow 8 to 10-quart (7.5 to 9.5 L) stockpot. Submersion protects the color, and the close parchment cover performs the work once assigned to a napkin or chopped suet.
• •Pour a light Beaujolais, served slightly cool. Its bright acidity answers the gelatinous head and delicate brain without bullying either one.

Advance Preparation

• •The Special Court-bouillon, or Blanc (No. 167) can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Stir it thoroughly as it returns to the boil because the flour settles while it stands.
• •The head and tongue can be cooked 1 day ahead. Transfer them with enough strained cooking liquid to keep every surface covered, cool the container in an ice bath, and refrigerate within 2 hours. Reheat at the barest simmer until hot through.
• •Complete The Cooking of Brains (No. 1289) close to serving. Cooked brain is more fragile after chilling and loses the soft texture that makes the collops distinct from the tongue and head.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)