Tendrons de Veau

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8-liter) shallow heavy casserole with an ovenproof lid
• •2-quart (1.9-liter) saucepan
• •Large basting spoon or bulb baster
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow broiler-safe serving dish, if the casserole is not broiler-safe

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready meat and stock

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). The governing method is Braising of White Meats (No. 248), scaled here for four servings. Warm the veal stock in a saucepan and keep it just below a simmer. If the cold stock does not set softly like jelly, first sprinkle the optional gelatin over it, wait 5 minutes, then warm it gently until dissolved. Dry the tendrons thoroughly and season them with 1½ teaspoons of the salt and all the pepper.

2. 2

   Raidir the tendrons

   Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a shallow heavy casserole over medium heat. When the foam subsides, raidir the tendrons, meaning gently firm and color them, working in batches if necessary. Give each face a light blonde-gold crust, not the dark sear of a beef stew, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pieces to a plate. If the butter begins to brown before the veal colors, lower the heat and add a small piece of the measured butter.

3. 3

   Build the staged glaze

   Add the sliced onion and carrot to the casserole and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until softened without deep browning. Lay the tendrons over the aromatics and tuck in the bouquet garni. Add ½ cup of the hot stock, bring it to a gentle simmer, and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Baste as the stock reduces for 6 to 8 minutes, until it becomes glossy and nearly clings to the meat. Repeat with another ½ cup of stock. Only after the second addition has reached a glaze should you add 2 more cups, enough to come roughly halfway up the tendrons.

   Use a casserole that holds the tendrons closely in one layer. A wide, half-empty pot makes the small stock additions disappear before they can coat the meat.
4. 4

   Braise and baste

   Cover the casserole and place it in the oven. Braise for 75 to 95 minutes, turning the tendrons and spooning the liquor over them every 20 minutes. They are ready when a slim skewer enters the thick flesh easily and passes through the cartilage with only gentle resistance. Do not cook them until they collapse. If the liquid reduces too quickly or the glaze catches at the edges, add a spoonful of hot water and lower the oven slightly. Ça se rattrape. The frequent basting is not brigade ceremony; it is the dish, and it keeps the veal coated and succulent.

5. 5

   Glaze spring vegetables

   About 20 minutes before the tendrons are ready, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the saucepan. Add the baby carrots, turnips, pearl onions, the remaining 1 cup stock, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, add the peas, and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, rolling the vegetables through the pan until tender and coated in a butter-bright glaze. If the liquor disappears before the roots are tender, add a spoonful of water and cover them for 3 minutes rather than letting the butter scorch.

6. 6

   Reduce and mount

   Lift the tendrons onto a broiler-safe dish and cover loosely. Discard the bouquet garni, then strain the braising liquid into a clean saucepan and skim away excess fat. Boil steadily until the sauce will napper, or coat, the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the final tablespoon of cold butter. If the sauce looks greasy instead of glossy, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water off the heat until it comes back together. Taste before adding the remaining salt, since the stock has concentrated.

7. 7

   Set the final glaze

   Heat the broiler. Brush the tendrons generously with the reduced sauce and place them beneath the heat for 30 to 60 seconds, just until the glaze sets to a clear amber lacquer. Brush once more and repeat briefly. This domestic broiler replaces the salamander, and it needs your full attention because a glossy glaze becomes scorched sugar quickly. Arrange the spring vegetables around the tendrons, spoon the remaining sauce over and beneath them, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for the cartilage-tipped rib ends of veal breast, cut across the ribs into thick pieces. These are tendrons, not veal shanks and not beef short ribs; the cartilage is what turns tender and gives the reduced sauce its body.
• •The stock matters because it becomes the sauce without flour or cream. Good chilled veal stock should wobble. If yours pours like water, the small measure of gelatin supplies the body that a classical stockpot produced naturally, without changing the flavor.
• •Keep the browning light. Tendrons need enough color to build a fond, but a dark crust would turn this gentle white braise toward a heavier brown stew. Butter, moderate heat, and patience.
• •Serve with a full-bodied dry white wine or a light, supple red. The sauce is rich with gelatin and butter, but the spring vegetables keep it from wanting anything severe.

Advance Preparation

• •Braise the tendrons through step 4 up to 2 days ahead. Cool them in their liquid, cover, and chill. Remove the set fat, then reheat gently in the covered casserole before reducing the sauce and setting the glaze.
• •The carrots, turnips, and pearl onions can be cleaned earlier the same day and kept covered in the refrigerator. Cook the vegetable garnish shortly before serving so the peas remain green and the roots hold their shape.
• •Leftovers keep for 3 days when chilled promptly in their sauce. Reheat them covered over low heat, adding a spoonful of stock or water if the glaze has set too firmly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)