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The main dish, French classic

Veal blanquette with rice pilaf

Veal blanquette with rice pilaf is a classic French stew for 6, with 60 minutes of active work spread across the day before and the day of. It's made entirely ahead, then gently reheated before serving, for an easy difficulty level and a cost of €5.00 per person. The trick is never browning the meat and finishing the sauce off the heat with an egg yolk liaison, without letting it boil again.

A real veal blanquette, creamy and comforting, made the day before so you can actually enjoy your guests.

Veal blanquette with rice pilaf
For
6 people
Work
1 h
Total time
3 h 30
Prep
Prepared the day before
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€5.00
Calories per person
560 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach

Veal blanquette is the dish that feels like a warm hug, a creamy white sauce, meat that falls apart at the fork, mushrooms and pearl onions that give each bite some bite back. The rice pilaf, lightly buttered and fluffy, soaks up the sauce without ever drowning in it. It's a cold weather dish, the kind that shows up at big family tables in fall and winter.

It's a great choice for a family dinner or a dinner with friends when you want to cook calmly instead of rushing on the day. Mon Chou has you make it the day before, so when your guests arrive all that's left is reheating and finishing the sauce. Keep the rest of the menu simple, a light starter and a dessert that doesn't need the oven at the same time.

The schedule

What happens when, so you can be with your guests instead of in the kitchen.

  1. The day before 4 steps, 2 h
  2. The same day Nothing to do
  3. Before the guests arrive 1 step, 20 min
  4. When it's time to serve 1 step

The day before, cook the meat, make the sauce and garnishes, then let everything cool in the fridge. The day of, right before guests arrive, gently reheat the blanquette and cook the rice pilaf. At serving time, whisk the egg yolks, cream, and lemon juice into the sauce off the heat, then bring it to the table.

The ingredients

6 people

Butcher

  • Veal shoulder and shank 1.4 kg

Fruits and vegetables

  • Carrots 3
  • Onions 2
  • Button mushrooms 300 g
  • Pearl onions 18
  • Lemon 1

Dairy

  • Heavy cream 20 cl
  • Egg yolks 2

Pantry

  • Long grain riceoften in the pantry 300 g
  • Butteroften in the pantry 70 g
  • Flouroften in the pantry 40 g
  • Bouquet garnioften in the pantry 1
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten, Lactose, Eggs

The recipe, moment by moment

The day beforeWhat's better after resting overnight in the fridge.

  1. Put the veal in a Dutch oven, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and skim well, then rinse the meat. 10 min

    This step blanches the meat and keeps the sauce from turning cloudy.

  2. Put the veal back in clean water with the carrots, an onion studded with a clove, the bouquet garni, and salt, then let it simmer gently. 1 h 30

    Plan on 1 hour 30 minutes, the meat is done when a knife tip slides in without resistance.

  3. Make a roux with 40 g of butter and the flour, whisk in 50 cl of strained broth to thicken the sauce, then add back the meat and carrots. Cook the mushrooms and pearl onions separately in a bit of butter. 20 min

    Cooking the garnishes separately keeps their flavor clean and their texture firm.

  4. Combine the meat, sauce, and garnishes in a Dutch oven, let it cool, cover, and refrigerate.

    Blanquette tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to come together.

Before the guests arriveThe last hour, right before the doorbell rings.

  1. Gently reheat the blanquette, covered. Meanwhile, sauté the rice in butter with a chopped onion, add twice its volume in water, and cook covered. 20 min

    Cover the rice pilaf with a kitchen towel under the lid, it comes out perfectly fluffy.

When it's time to serveThe final touches, right in front of your guests.

  1. Off the heat, whisk together the egg yolks, cream, and lemon juice, then stir into the blanquette.

    Don't let it boil again after adding the liaison, the yolks would scramble.

Our tips to get it right

  • Use a mix of shoulder and shank, the shoulder stays tender while the shank adds natural richness to the sauce.
  • Strain the broth well before making the roux, leftover bits of spent vegetables would make the sauce grainy.
  • If the sauce feels too thick after the liaison, loosen it with a spoonful of warm broth rather than water, to keep the flavor.

The variations

  • Swap the veal for chicken or turkey, the simmering time then drops to about 45 minutes.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with parsnips and celery root simmered in the same aromatic broth, the liaison stays the same.
  • To save time, skip the roux and thicken the sauce directly with the cream and egg yolks at the end of cooking, the texture will be slightly less coating.

What to serve it with

  • Rice pilaf, already part of the recipe
  • A sharply dressed green salad afterward
  • A dry white Loire wine

Storage

The blanquette keeps 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, before the egg liaison is added. It freezes well at that stage, up to 2 months, and should be reheated gently covered before finishing with the liaison right before serving.

Questions about this recipe

Can you replace the rice with steamed potatoes?

Yes, steamed or mashed potatoes work very well instead of rice pilaf. They soak up the sauce just as nicely and pair naturally with veal.

How do you keep the sauce from splitting during the liaison?

Always add the liaison off the heat, into the warm blanquette, stirring gently. Never put the pot back on the burner afterward, the residual heat is enough to thicken it without curdling the yolks.

Can you make this blanquette for more than 6 people?

Yes, the recipe doubles easily while keeping the same proportions. Use a large enough pot and extend the simmering time slightly for a bigger batch of meat.

Why add lemon to the liaison?

Lemon juice adds a touch of acidity that balances the richness of the cream and egg yolk. It also keeps the sauce from tasting too heavy.

Can a veal blanquette with rice pilaf be made ahead?

Yes, it's even recommended. The recipe needs 1 h of work in total, split up like this, the day before, 4 steps, before the guests arrive, 1 step, when it's time to serve, 1 step.

How long does it take to make a veal blanquette with rice pilaf?

Allow 3 h 30 in total, including resting and cooking time, of which 1 h is actual work. The recipe is rated "easy".

How many calories are in a veal blanquette with rice pilaf?

About 560 kcal per person, for a recipe meant for 6 people. The calories are calculated by Kiloach, your kilo coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a veal blanquette with rice pilaf cost?

About €5.00 per person, that's €30.00 for 6 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose, eggs. Remember to ask your guests about their allergies before putting your menu together.

To round out your menu

Build a menu
Black Forest cake The dessert

French classic

Black Forest cake

  • 1 h 10 of work
  • Prepared the day before
  • Medium, €3.00 per person

580 kcalcalculated by Kiloach

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