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Veal Breast


rooftop1000

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I have been on a "hunk of meat" kick lately and my latest purchase is a bone in veal breast.

I seem to remember cutting one up waaay back in school to make a veal paprikash which I loved and never made again. :huh:

So what should I do with this one?

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Nothing wrong with a veal paprikash, but you might want to consider leaving it whole and doing a simple roast or braise. I'd shy away from strong flavors; for example, I'd add just a little shallot rather than a lot of onion or garlic, just salt and pepper, maybe a bare hint of rosemary. For braising, Riesling works exceptionally well.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

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The only time I made it I followed Julia's recipe in Vol 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was braised and stuffed with a rice/chard or spinach/ham mixture and was really good. I still remember that meal 25 years later....

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I'd cut a few holes between the bones and stuff in a clove of garlic and some rosemary every here and there, then sprinkle it with some salt and pepper, and brown it slowly but well on as many sides as you can with a little olive oil. (I'd also throw in a sprig of rosemary while it's browning, myself.) Then I'd add some white wine and some chicken stock (about a cup of each), and let it braise for a few hours. I like to use a herbaceous wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc, for this - and it doesn't have to be a great one. (I've been known to take it out, crisp it in under the broiler, and put it back in to braise some more). When it's falling apart tender, take out the liquid, de-fat it, and boil it down until it becomes unctuous and almost syrupy - this will be all the gelatin from the bones, and it makes a stupendous sauce for the sliced meat. You might want to go along the bones and remove the meat from them, then slice the meat as a roast, and cut between the bones and serve them alongside.

I would serve it with some oniony potato pancakes, and some applesauce, which will complement both the meat and the potatoes.

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The only time I made it I followed Julia's recipe in Vol 2 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It was braised and stuffed with a rice/chard or spinach/ham mixture and was really good. I still remember that meal 25 years later....

Your post was a Madeleine Moment for me -- I followed the same recipe about 25 years ago. Really, really good.

I'm going to follow this topic because I haven't done anything with veal breast for years. It's a pain-in-the-ass cut, and seems more trouble than it's worth. Enlighten and enthuse me, please.

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Veal breast has some really good flavorful meat but there is a lot of fat and bones to deal with. The breast lends itself well to being stuffed. It's easy to slice the meat from the bone to make a pocket. Here is a rather large veal breast that is stuffed.

gallery_6878_3484_101245.jpg

gallery_6878_3484_50809.jpg

Edited by scubadoo97 (log)
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You can also roll it. It's best to do it with the whole breast from which the ribs have been removed. In the past (with the help of a meat slicer and an aging room) I've rolled veal breast with minced rosemary, thyme and garlic, salt and pepper and then a blanket of very thinly sliced guanciale. Rolled and tied every inch or so seared and then braised in chicken or veal stock with mirapoix, garlic and more herbs. After the braise you can cool it, slice it and glaze up the slices in a hot oven using reduced braising liquid.

You shouldn't eat grouse and woodcock, venison, a quail and dove pate, abalone and oysters, caviar, calf sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, and ducks all during the same week with several cases of wine. That's a health tip.

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You should make blanquette de veau in an effort to learn all of Raymond Sokolov's 101 Classic Recipes Everyone Should Know.  It's not Raymond's recipe, but Daniel Boulud will do! here's a link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/103000

Blanquette is what I was going to suggest. That is one of our favorite new dishes, but sadly we have to sub for veal since I can't find anyone that has anything but veal chops or cutlets.

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You should make blanquette de veau in an effort to learn all of Raymond Sokolov's 101 Classic Recipes Everyone Should Know.  It's not Raymond's recipe, but Daniel Boulud will do! here's a link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/103000

Blanquette is what I was going to suggest. That is one of our favorite new dishes, but sadly we have to sub for veal since I can't find anyone that has anything but veal chops or cutlets.

I third the Blanquette. although I wouldn't reccomend any recipe that has carrots of green beans in it. I think Bourdain said it right that part of the appeal of eating this dish is that it's utterly monochromatic and you have to fight the urge to sprinkle some parsley or add any form of contrast. It's a great dish when done right.

PS: I am a guy.

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  • 1 year later...

I braised a breast of veal recently--a simple dish as it was a result of freezer shopping one Sunday (my freezer) didn't stuff it, just browned it and braised with some onion and garlic, some fresh thyme, and white wine.

added some carrots and tomato halfway through the cooking.

It wasn't boned, so I cut it into pieces to serve. Served it with orzo.

It was wonderful, and I'll make it again--but messy to eat as there was a layer of something between the layers of meat--sort of a gelatinous fatty skin.

So what's the best way of dealing with this? Cook it a day ahead and pull the meat off the bones and get rid of the goop ahead of time?

Z

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I braised a breast of veal recently--a simple dish as it was a result of freezer shopping one Sunday (my freezer) didn't stuff it, just browned it and braised with some onion and garlic, some fresh thyme, and white wine.

added some carrots and tomato halfway through the cooking.

It wasn't boned, so I cut it into pieces to serve. Served it with orzo.

It was wonderful, and I'll make it again--but messy to eat as there was a layer of something between the layers of meat--sort of a gelatinous fatty skin.

So what's the best way of dealing with this? Cook it a day ahead and pull the meat off the bones and get rid of the goop ahead of time?

Z

When we made our veal dish at Allen and Delancey in NYC we would sear the veal breast very well in a large roasting pan then run through the standard braise routine using white wine carrots and veal stock. We would then shred the meat and when time to serve would make a sort of ragout out of brussel sprouts and the shredded veal meat using the braising liquid to moisten the meat. we would pair that with the loin as a garnish. I thought it was great. Shredding it gives it a real comfort feel.

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When we made our veal dish at Allen and Delancey in NYC we would sear the veal breast very well in a large roasting pan then run through the standard braise routine using white wine carrots and veal stock. We would then shred the meat and when time to serve would make a sort of ragout out of brussel sprouts and the shredded veal meat using the braising liquid to moisten the meat. we would pair that with the loin as a garnish. I thought it was great. Shredding it gives it a real comfort feel.

that sounds WONDERFUL. I think brussels sprouts would be perfect with the veal--I'm sorry I missed this..

So how did you cook the brussels sprouts? I'm thinking sauteed?

Z

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that sounds WONDERFUL. I think brussels sprouts would be perfect with the veal--I'm sorry I missed this..

So how did you cook the brussels sprouts? I'm thinking sauteed?

Z

Well when i was there we cleaned them up, cut in half, then cooked in hot olive oil and finished in brown butter, then we would add them to the veal breast in a small sauce pan and added the braising liquid. These days i find brussels more pleasant to most if you trim the bottom and take the time to seperate each individual leaf, followed by a quick sear with finely diced shallot and fines herb. Hold the pepper unless its white and freshly ground.

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  • 7 months later...

So I gave this a shot the other day and it turned out pretty good. The only complaints that I had was about the fat and gristle between the meat and the skin. In all of the recipes I've seen it call's for browning the skin side leading me to believe that the skin isn't supposed to be removed? Is there supposed be be a thick layer of fat between the meat and the skin? was I using the wrong part of the veal breast?

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I've never tried veal breast, but I use the veal breast recipe from the French Laundry Cookbook with lamb breast and it's very good. Essentially simmer very gently in stock for a few hours, chill under a weight and then cut into discs dipped in fine crumbs and fried to serve. I do take the skin off. It (lamb) is something that needs a good 3-4 hours gentle simmering.

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Boneless rolled veal breast can be great in a braise. I find keeping the braising liquid and flavorings simple works best, and while you can brown the meat first it's totally unnecessary. I simply make a braising liquid of Riesling which is particularly well-suited to veal.

Bob Libkind aka "rlibkind"

Robert's Market Report

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