French Blanquette de Veau
Frenchfrench veal lunch freeze-ready stew braise

French Blanquette de Veau

Rate this recipe

star star star star star
4.8 · (50 ratings)
restaurant6 servings — eat 4, freeze 2
scheduleHands-on 30 min | Total 105 min
bolt595 kcal
Yield6 servings — eat 4, freeze 2
Calories595 kcal
Total Time105 min
Cost/Serving

~$7.50 CAD per serving (estimate)

Ingredients

  • 1.4 kgveal shoulder or stew veal, cut into 4cm pieces (veal & braise)
  • 1.5 Llow-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (veal & braise)
  • 3carrots, chunked (veal & braise)
  • 2celery stalks, chunked (veal & braise)
  • 1leek, sliced (veal & braise)
  • 1onion studded with 2 bay leaves (veal & braise)
  • 1 tspwhole black peppercorns (veal & braise)
  • Fresh thyme (veal & braise — fresh thyme)
  • 60 gall-purpose flour (sauce & garnish)
  • 3 tbspghee (sauce & garnish)
  • 240 mlsoy cream (sauce & garnish)
  • 400 gbutton or cremini mushrooms, quartered (sauce & garnish)
  • 250 gpearl onions (fresh or frozen) (sauce & garnish)
  • 1 tbspDijon mustard (optional) (sauce & garnish)
  • Juice of 1 lemon (sauce & garnish)
  • 2egg yolks (optional liaison) (sauce & garnish)
  • 30 gslivered almonds (garnish) (sauce & garnish)
  • 600 gharicots verts (thin green beans) (haricots verts + rice or noodles)
  • 480 gbrown rice OR 400g wide egg noodles (haricots verts + rice or noodles)
  • 2 tbspolive oil, garlic, salt (haricots verts + rice or noodles)

Nutrition / serving

  • Calories595 kcal
  • Protein44 g
  • Carbs46 g
  • Fat24 g
  • Fiber5 g

Cost Estimate

~$7.50 CAD per serving (estimate)

France's beloved white veal stew: gently poached veal in a silky velouté brightened with lemon and mushrooms — never browned, always pale, and comforting to the last spoon.

Instructions

01 check_circle

Poach the veal

Place veal in pot, cover with broth. Add carrots, celery, leek, studded onion, peppercorns, thyme. Bring to gentle simmer, skim foam. Cover, simmer low 1 hr 15 min until tender. (Never brown the veal — blanquette stays pale.)

02 check_circle

Strain

Strain, reserving veal and 1 L of the broth. Discard aromatics.

03 check_circle

Sauté mushrooms and onions

Sauté mushrooms and pearl onions in 1 tbsp ghee until golden. Set aside.

04 check_circle

Make the velouté

Make velouté: melt 3 tbsp ghee, whisk in flour, cook 2 min without coloring. Slowly whisk in reserved broth. Simmer 8–10 min to thicken.

05 check_circle

Finish the sauce

Stir in soy cream, Dijon, lemon juice. Add veal, mushrooms, onions. Warm through gently.

06 check_circle

Egg-yolk liaison

Optional liaison: temper egg yolks with a ladle of hot sauce, stir back in off heat — keep below 80°C (176°F) so yolks don't curdle.

07 check_circle

Sides and garnish

Cook rice/noodles. Blanch green beans 4 min, toss with oil and garlic. Garnish blanquette with almonds.

08 check_circle

Thermomix method

(velouté): Melt ghee 2 min/90°C/speed 2, add flour, cook 3 min/100°C/speed 3. Whisk in broth, cook 10 min/100°C/speed 3. Add soy cream, Dijon, lemon, mix 30 sec/speed 4. Braise the veal traditionally for best texture.

ac_unit

Freeze & Reheat

Portion 2 servings (veal + sauce + rice/noodles). Freeze up to 2 months — sauce may separate slightly. Reheat covered on low, stirring gently 8–10 min; add 2 tbsp soy cream or oat milk if the sauce looks broken. Green beans always fresh.

Chef's Cool Facts

Blanc means white

"Blanquette" comes from "blanc" (white) — the veal is never browned and the sauce stays pale and creamy.

France's favorite dish

It was voted France's favorite dish in a 2006 national poll, beating boeuf bourguignon.

The egg-yolk liaison

The final egg-yolk "liaison" thickens without scrambling — kept below 80°C so the yolks emulsify rather than curdle.

arrow_back