Chef Juliette
Selle de Veau (Relevé)
A half saddle of veal, bacon-barded and braised by short moistening, emerges bronze and succulent, with the concentrated veal glaze that makes this grand relevé worthy of the home table.
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Côte de Veau Papillote
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1259, Côte de Veau Papillote, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Côte de Veau en Papillote seals butter-browned veal, Duxelles, sliced mushroom, and ham inside oiled paper, then lets the hot oven inflate the parcel for its generous opening at the table.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
30 min
Active Time
25 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
Côte de Veau en Papillote (veal cutlet baked in a paper parcel) teaches one true thing: the seal is the technique. Butter-browned veal, Duxelles sauce, sliced mushroom, and ham are already splendid, but the pleated heart of paper holds their aromas together and rises in the oven. If the case cannot hold, the dish loses its particular magic.
The original entry assumed a saucier with Duxelles sauce ready, strong paper at hand, and another pair of hands shaping cases while the cutlet cooked. Its stockpot had already done its work inside the finished sauce, and no salamander was needed; a fairly hot oven supplied the final lift. At home, prepared Duxelles sauce, sturdy baking parchment, a skillet, and a rimmed sheet are the honest equivalents. We move the paper work ahead of the pan because one cook cannot pleat neatly while veal browns. That simultaneous service work was brigade scaffolding. The ratio of two tablespoons of Duxelles and two slices of ham per cutlet stays exactly where the source put it. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Brush the parchment, then layer ham, sauce, veal, sauce, and ham. The parchment is modern, but the fitted layers and sealed pleats are the dish itself, and they must stay. The step that matters most is the final crimp at the pointed end, because a handsome packet with an open seam is merely wrapping.
Côte de veau en papillote belongs to the Parisian classical table rather than to a single provincial larder, where individual veal cutlets were finished with sauce and garnish enclosed inside oiled paper. The method passed naturally into cuisine bourgeoise because the paper performed as both covered cooking vessel and service dish, keeping the juices close until the parcel reached the guest. Its puff is not decoration; it proves the pleats held, and opening the case at table releases the concentrated aroma that defines en papillote.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in veal rib cutlets
Quantity
4, each ¾ inch (2 cm) thick and about 6 oz (170 g)
fine sea salt
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g)
divided
button mushrooms
Quantity
4 medium (about 3 oz / 85 g)
thinly sliced
prepared Duxelles sauce
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 120 g)
unsmoked cooked ham
Quantity
8 thin slices (about 8 oz / 225 g)
trimmed into rounded hearts the size of the cutlets
neutral oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
for brushing the parchment
warm water (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g)
only if needed to loosen the Duxelles sauce
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in veal rib cutlets | 4, each ¾ inch (2 cm) thick and about 6 oz (170 g) |
| fine sea salt | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 0.6 g) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) |
| button mushroomsthinly sliced | 4 medium (about 3 oz / 85 g) |
| prepared Duxelles sauce | ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) |
| unsmoked cooked hamtrimmed into rounded hearts the size of the cutlets | 8 thin slices (about 8 oz / 225 g) |
| neutral oilfor brushing the parchment | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| warm water (optional)only if needed to loosen the Duxelles sauce | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •12 inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
- •Four 16 by 20 inch (40 by 50 cm) sheets of sturdy baking parchment
- •Kitchen scissors
- •Pastry brush
- •Large rimmed baking sheet
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Shape the paper cases
Set a rack in the centre of the oven and heat it to 425°F (220°C). Fold each 16 by 20 inch (40 by 50 cm) sheet of baking parchment in half, cut it into a broad half-heart, then unfold it. Each closed heart must leave at least 2 inches (5 cm) of paper around its cutlet. Brush the inner surface lightly but completely with the neutral oil, reserving a little for the tops. Trim the ham into eight rounded hearts roughly matching the meaty portion of the cutlets.
Use sturdy baking parchment, never waxed paper. If a chop has a sharp bone tip, prepare a small doubled scrap of oiled parchment to cap it before sealing. - 2
Ready the Duxelles
Melt 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until their released liquid has evaporated and their edges are lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Fold them into the prepared Duxelles sauce and warm it gently. The sauce must sit in a soft mound rather than run across the spoon; if it is loose, reduce it over low heat until it holds, and if it tightens too far, take it off the heat and stir in the teaspoon of warm water. Transfer it to a bowl and wipe the skillet.
- 3
Sauté the veal
Pat the cutlets thoroughly dry and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Melt half the remaining butter in the skillet over medium-high heat, waiting until its foam subsides, then sauté two cutlets at a time for about 2 minutes per side. Give them a deep golden surface while leaving the centres underdone, about 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C). Repeat with the remaining butter and cutlets. The source's instruction to toss the veal in butter means this quick sauté, not cooking it through before the parcel.
- 4
Build each parcel
Open one parchment heart and place a ham heart in the centre of one half, close to the fold but clear of the outer border. Spread exactly 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of Duxelles over the ham, set a warm cutlet on top, and aim the bone toward the central fold so it cannot pierce the outer edge. Cover with another tablespoon of Duxelles and finish with a second ham heart. Repeat with the remaining portions. Keep the sauce away from the paper border, because a greasy seam will not grip.
- 5
Pleat the cases
Fold the empty half of each heart over the filling and align the edges. Beginning at the rounded top, make tight 1 inch (2.5 cm) overlapping pleats around the curve, pressing each fold firmly before making the next. Fold the final pointed tail underneath the parcel, then brush the top lightly with the reserved oil. If the bone makes a tear or a pleat refuses to hold, don't discard the case. Ça se rattrape: cover the weak spot with the prepared oiled parchment scrap and crimp the neighbouring folds over it.
- 6
Puff in the oven
Arrange the parcels on a rimmed baking sheet without letting them touch. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cases rise into domes and the oiled parchment turns butter-gold around the pleats. Check the veal through the thick folded edge with an instant-read thermometer, avoiding the bone; it must reach 145°F (63°C). If it is short of that mark, return the parcels for 2 minutes. The veal was browned first, so the oven's work is brief: finish the meat, heat the layers together, and inflate the sealed case.
- 7
Open at table
Transfer each closed papillote immediately to a warmed plate. Bring them to the table intact, then slit the upper paper away from faces and hands and peel it back to reveal the ham-covered cutlet and glossy Duxelles beneath. Do not open the parcels in the kitchen; the concentrated aroma released at the table is the final seasoning. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ask the butcher for four evenly cut bone-in rib cutlets. Côte means the chop carries its bone, which gives the portion its shape and protects the meat during the quick sauté; a thin boneless escalope would cook too quickly for this method.
- •Duxelles sauce is a finished component, not a loose spoonful of chopped mushrooms. It must be thick enough to cling to the veal, or it will soak the seam before the case can rise.
- •Cut the parchment generously. A cramped parcel presses against the filling and has nowhere to inflate, while a broad 2 inch (5 cm) border gives you enough paper for strong overlapping pleats.
- •Serve with buttered green beans or pommes purée and a young red Burgundy or cru Beaujolais. The mushroom sauce welcomes a supple red, but heavy tannin overwhelms the veal.
Advance Preparation
- •Cut and oil the parchment hearts and trim the ham up to 4 hours ahead. Stack the paper cases flat with a clean sheet of parchment between them.
- •The prepared Duxelles sauce and cooked sliced mushrooms can be combined up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Reheat them gently and correct the consistency before assembling.
- •Do not assemble the papillotes far ahead. More than 15 minutes of standing allows the sauce to soften the paper and cools the veal, making a strong puff less likely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 210g)
Calories
510 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
16 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
165 mg
Sodium
1200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
3 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
38 g
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