Blanquette de veau au Louré – morels & tarragon

Pale veal, gently cooked until it falls apart in silky pieces, in a sauce that brings together Louré and crème — morels lend depth, a hint of tarragon lifts it all into the light. The white classic that carries the calm of a long, slow cooking onto the plate.

Beef & Game Category

30 MIN Prep time

120 MIN Cook time

4 people Servings

Ingredients

For the ragout:
1 kg veal shoulder, in large cubes
1 onion, studded with 2 cloves
1 carrot, in pieces
1 leek, in pieces
1 stick of celery
1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley stalks)
approx. 1.2 l light veal stock
sea salt, a few white peppercorns

For the sauce:
40 g butter
40 g flour
200 ml Louré
200 ml crème fraîche
1 egg yolk
1 dash of lemon juice
sea salt, white pepper

For the garnish:
20 g dried morels
200 g small mushrooms
12 pearl onions
1 tbsp butter
1 pinch of sugar
2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

To serve:
rice or steamed potatoes

Sommelier's tip: Use the same Louré for the sauce that you will later pour into the glass. It is cooked down with the roux and gives the pale sauce acidity and depth.

≈ 880 kcal per serving

Blanquette de veau au Louré – morels & tarragon

Preparation

Blanch the meat

Put the veal cubes in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil once. Carefully skim off the rising foam, drain the meat and rinse it briefly in cold water — this keeps the sauce pale in the end.

Cook gently

Return the meat to the clean pot, cover with the veal stock and add the studded onion, carrot, leek, celery and the bouquet garni. Season with a little salt and a few peppercorns and, covered, let it barely simmer over low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours — the meat should simmer, not boil rapidly, until it gives way under gentle pressure from a fork.

Prepare morels & garnish

Soak the dried morels for 20 minutes in lukewarm water, then squeeze them out and filter the soaking water through a cloth. Sweat the pearl onions and mushrooms in 1 tbsp butter with a pinch of sugar for 8 minutes until golden, add the morels and fry briefly with them.

Build the sauce with Louré

From butter and flour, stir a pale roux over medium heat for 2 minutes, without letting it take on colour. Pour in the Louré and stir smooth, then gradually stir in about 600 ml of the hot cooking liquid and the filtered morel water. Let it simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the sauce binds silkily.

Finish with crème and egg yolk

Whisk the crème fraîche and egg yolk, stir in a ladle of the hot sauce and return everything to the pot. Warm the sauce only just below boiling point — it must not boil again, or the egg yolk will curdle. Season with lemon juice, salt and white pepper.

Plate & serve

Turn the meat and garnish in the sauce, fold in the chopped tarragon and let it steep for another 5 minutes. Serve with rice or steamed potatoes.

Why this wine?

Our Louré from LaSuite aux Conseillans is the wine for blanquette de veau, the same wine that goes into the sauce: its mineral core and broad body carry the cream, and its fine acidity keeps the morels and tarragon fresh. The Sauvignon Blanc matures for a long time on its fine lees in oval clay amphorae, which gives it the substance this creamy dish asks for.

Good to know

Tips & insights

Start the veal shoulder in cold stock and let it only barely simmer, never boil hard, so the meat stays tender and the broth clear.
Skim off the rising foam carefully in the first minutes, so the sauce turns pale and clean.
For the sauce, use the same Louré that goes into the glass; what reduces in the pot returns deepened in the pairing.
Soak the dried morels and add the filtered soaking water to the stock, as it carries a lot of aroma.
Stir in the liaison of egg yolk and crème fraîche only at the end and do not let it boil, or the sauce curdles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which wine goes with blanquette de veau?

A white wine with body and fine acidity that carries the cream without covering the delicate veal. We drink our Louré from LaSuite aux Conseillans with it, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Bordeaux region matured in clay amphorae. It already goes into the sauce, so glass and plate belong together.

How does the sauce stay pale?

Do not brown the veal, but poach it in light stock. Skim the foam and keep the heat low. The white roux must take no colour. So the blanquette stays pale and creamy, as the name of the white ragout demands.

Why must the sauce not boil after the liaison?

The binding of egg yolk and crème fraîche curdles at too high a heat and the sauce turns flaky. Stir the liaison in off the boil, draw the pot from the flame and warm everything only gently until the sauce binds smoothly. A dash of lemon rounds it off.

What do I serve with the blanquette?

Classic choices are rice or steamed potatoes that take up the pale sauce. Both keep the plate calm and give precedence to the tender veal and the morels. A little fresh tarragon at the end brings scent without disturbing the fine balance of the ragout.

The wine to pair