Chef Juliette
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Côte de Veau en Casserole
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1255, Côte de Veau en Casserole, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Côte de veau at its most disciplined: thick rib chops turned patiently in quiet butter, finished with one spoonful of veal gravy, and served from the casserole that cooked them.
Main Dishes
French
Weeknight
Comfort Food
One Pot
15 min
Active Time
20 min cook•40 min total
Yield4 servings
Côte de Veau en Casserole (veal rib chops gently cooked in butter in a casserole) teaches heat control without disguise. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is this: the butter must whisper, never rage. Turn the chops often and they cook evenly in butter-gold fat; let the pan run hot and the outside toughens before the meat beside the bone is ready.
The old entry assumes one chop cooked to order in flameproof earthenware, a saucier at hand, and a veal stockpot never cold. At home, a broad enameled braiser gives four chops the same gentle contact, while good unsalted prepared veal jus supplies the final spoonful. The source's proportion stays exact, one ounce of butter and one tablespoon of gravy per chop, but the individual service pan becomes one table-sized casserole. That little pan was brigade scaffolding. The quiet cooking and last-moment gravy are the dish. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Nothing else belongs in the pot. No wine, herbs, flour, or cream. The decisive step is the repeated turning: keep the butter pale and the chops moving until they are evenly golden and just cooked beside the bone.
Côte de veau en casserole belongs to cuisine bourgeoise, the well-kept French household table where a good chop and a little veal gravy made a complete main course. The method passed easily into classical à la carte service because each chop could be cooked and presented in its own earthenware vessel, but en casserole names the pot and the service, not a long braise. Its spareness is deliberate: the veal gravy enters only at the end, leaving the meat to taste clearly of veal and butter.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in veal rib chops
Quantity
4, about 6 ounces (170 g) each and 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick
unsalted butter
Quantity
1/2 cup (120 ml / 113 g)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g)
freshly ground white pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g)
excellent veal gravy or unsalted prepared veal jus
Quantity
1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g)
warmed; if using concentrated veal demi-glace, dilute it to a light gravy consistency
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in veal rib chops | 4, about 6 ounces (170 g) each and 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick |
| unsalted butter | 1/2 cup (120 ml / 113 g) |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) |
| freshly ground white pepper | 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g) |
| excellent veal gravy or unsalted prepared veal juswarmed; if using concentrated veal demi-glace, dilute it to a light gravy consistency | 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide flameproof earthenware casserole or 5-quart (4.7 L) enameled cast-iron braiser
- •Tongs
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Small saucepan for warming the veal gravy
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the chops
Set the chops out for 15 minutes so the deep chill leaves them, then blot every surface dry. Season both sides and the edges evenly with the measured salt and white pepper. A wet chop cools the butter and cooks patchily; a dry one takes on a quiet golden surface.
- 2
Set gentle heat
Melt the butter in a wide flameproof casserole over low heat. When it is fully melted and covered with fine white foam, but shows no brown flecks, lay in the chops in one layer. They may sit close, but they must not overlap. We don't apologize for butter, and we don't scorch it.
- 3
Turn in butter
Cook uncovered over low to medium-low heat for 14 to 18 minutes, turning the chops with tongs every 2 minutes so both faces and the fatty edges meet the butter. The sound should remain a quiet, steady sizzle, and the meat should color gradually to butter-gold with a few deeper bronze patches. If the butter begins darkening quickly, lift the casserole from the burner, keep turning for 30 seconds, then return it over lower heat; the residual heat continues the cooking while the butter calms. Check the thickest part beside the bone with an instant-read thermometer, which must register 145°F (63°C).
Turn with tongs rather than piercing the meat with a fork. The repeated turning is not fussing with the chop; it is what gives gentle, even cooking without a hard crust or an overdone outer band. - 4
Add the gravy
Lower the heat to its minimum and pour 3 tablespoons of the warm veal gravy around the chops. Turn them once, then rock the casserole gently for 30 seconds. Take the pot off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of gravy, and rock it again until the butter and gravy gather into a loose, glossy finish. Do not boil it. If the sauce beads into separate fat, keep it off the heat and stir at the edge while rocking the casserole; ça se rattrape. The finish should pool and spoon, never reduce to a sticky glaze.
- 5
Serve from casserole
Leave the chops in the casserole off the heat for 3 minutes, satisfying their resting time without losing the butter or gravy beneath them. Spoon the pan liquor over each chop and carry the casserole directly to the table. Serve at once. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask for evenly cut bone-in veal rib chops, not thin escalopes. A côte is a chop, and the bone protects the meat during this unhurried cooking while giving the butter something substantial to work around.
- •Use veal gravy or veal jus, not brown beef gravy. A good prepared veal jus is the honest home equivalent to the saucier's pot; choose one without heavy herbs, wine, or excessive salt, because the final spoonful should deepen the veal rather than cover it.
- •Decorative earthenware is often unsafe over direct heat. Use only a vessel marked flameproof, or choose a wide enameled cast-iron braiser, which gives the same steady, gentle heat and can still come proudly to the table.
- •Serve with pommes purée, buttered noodles, or bread to collect the gravy. A light Beaujolais or a supple white Burgundy has enough freshness for the butter without bullying the veal.
- •The chops are best cooked and served at once. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 2 days; reheat very gently with their sauce so the lean meat does not tighten.
Advance Preparation
- •Measure the butter and veal gravy earlier in the day, and keep the gravy chilled until shortly before cooking. Warm it gently before it meets the butter, since cold gravy encourages the finish to separate.
- •The chops may be dried and held uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. Bring them out and season them 15 minutes before cooking.
- •Do not cook the chops ahead. The pleasure of this dish is the meat served directly from its buttered casserole, not reheated after waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 140g)
Calories
425 calories
Total Fat
35 g
Saturated Fat
19 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
14 g
Cholesterol
165 mg
Sodium
700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
27 g
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