The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (17 page)
Read The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook Online
Authors: Emily Ansara Baines
During this time period when French cuisine was quite
de rigueur
, this popular Franco-Russian dish was quite fashionable to serve at a dinner party. This dish is created by slicing veal and layering it with onion and mushroom stuffings, then covering with more stuffing and Mornay sauce. Perhaps in an attempt to woo Matthew Crawley, the Countess of Grantham would request that this indulgent dish be made to illustrate her family’s wealth and generosity. But outsiders beware: The Countess of Grantham — and all the daughters of Downton — are just as layered as this meal.
For Veal Roast
1
⁄
2
cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (4-pound) tied boneless loin of veal, tenderized
1
⁄
2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1
⁄
2
cup white onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery hearts, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
4 sprigs fresh parsley
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup dry white wine
1
⁄
3
cup long-grain basmati rice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups white or yellow onions, halved vertically and sliced thin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
2
teaspoon sugar
1
⁄
3
cup chicken broth
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped or minced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1
⁄
4
cup heavy cream
1
⁄
2
teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
⁄
2
teaspoon sugar
1
1
⁄
2
cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1
⁄
3
cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1
⁄
4
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1
⁄
4
teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- First, prepare the veal:
In a small or medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour and garlic powder. Dredge veal in flour mixture, then season with black pepper and salt. - Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart dutch oven (or other ovensafe pot) over medium heat. Add onion and garlic clove, and sauté until brown. Place veal in dish and brown, turning on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Remove veal from dutch oven. Add celery and carrots, stirring frequently to prevent brown bits. Cook until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
- Wrap parsley, fresh thyme, and bay leaf in a cheesecloth square, and tie into a bundle with a string to make a bouquet garni. Add to vegetables, then add wine. Finally, place veal on top and bring to a simmer.
- Cover dutch oven or pot with lid, then transfer to lower third of oven and braise until veal registers 145°F, about 1–1
1
⁄
2
hours. - Transfer veal to a wooden cutting board. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. Pour cooking juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium-sized glass bowl. Discard solids. Skim off fat and reserve for Mornay sauce. Be sure to add any juices that leak from veal to plate.
- While veal braises, make the onion stuffing:
Cook basmati rice in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse and drain again. - In a large ovenproof skillet, heat butter over low heat until foam subsides. Stir in onions, salt, and sugar. Cover with a lid or foil and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes. Mix in rice and broth, then bring to a simmer.
- Cover skillet tightly, then transfer to the upper third of the oven and bake until onions and rice are very soft, about 45 minutes–1 hour.
- Leaving oven on, transfer onion stuffing to a food processor and coarsely purée. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl to cool.
- While the veal and onion stuffing cook, make the mushroom stuffing:
Place a handful of mushrooms in a kitchen towel that is not terrycloth. Gather towel around mushrooms and wring out in kitchen sink, removing as much liquid as possible. Wring out remaining mushrooms a handful at a time following the same process. - In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Then add mushrooms and sauté until lightly brown and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. This should take 6–8 minutes. Mix in cream, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, constantly stirring, until cream is absorbed by mushrooms. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
- As veal stands, make the Mornay sauce:
Add enough milk to reserved veal juices in glass bowl to total 3 cups. - Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour and continue to cook over low heat, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Add milk mixture in a steady stream, whisking vigorously, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, whisking less frequently, for 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and add Gruyère, stirring until melted, then whisk in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Now prepare the Veal Prince Orloff:
Move the top rack of the oven to the middle of oven and raise heat to 375°F. - Mix a
1
⁄
2
cup of the onion stuffing into all of the mushroom stuffing. Place remaining onion stuffing in a Ziploc bag. Then transfer the onion and mushroom stuffing mixture into a different Ziploc bag. Make sure to squeeze out excess air from both bags. Then snip off
3
⁄
4
- to 1-inch from the corner of each bag. - Remove string from veal loin, and trim off and discard the ends of veal and any excess fat. Cut roast crosswise into 16–20 slices, about
1
⁄
4
-inch thick, taking care to keep slices together. - Transfer 1 slice of veal to the end of an ovenproof platter. Squeeze from Ziploc bag about 2 tablespoons of the onion and mushroom stuffing onto half of the slice, starting at the bottom of the slice and working toward the top of the slice. Then pipe 2 tablespoons of the mushroom stuffing onto the other half of the slice in the same manner. Overlap with another slice of meat, leaving a half-inch of stuffing exposed. Repeat with remaining veal slices and remaining stuffings, keeping slices aligned.
- Reheat Mornay sauce over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally. If desired, thin with a little milk. Transfer to a gravy boat and serve on the side.
At a formal dinner party, or at any dinner party, you may not eat until your host picks up his fork to eat. Do not start before then unless your host insists that you begin eating; only then is it polite to eat. Similarly, your host will signal the end of the meal by placing his napkin on the table. Once the dinner is over, you should follow suit and place your napkin cleanly on the table to the left of your dinner plate. However, you should not refold your napkin, nor should you crumple it up.
A delicious and majestic dish, these veal chops make a perfect base for Mrs. Patmore’s light Rosemary-Basil butter. As Thomas and William serve these juicy treats, it would likely be hard for them to keep their mouths from salivating — especially when they compare this dish to their heartier — yet much less delicate — food downstairs.
1
⁄
2
cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped and divided
1 teaspoon basil, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1
1
⁄
2
teaspoons kosher salt
4 (10- to 12-ounce) veal chops, each about 1–1
1
⁄
2
inches thick
1
⁄
4
cup extra-virgin olive oil
1
⁄
2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 rosemary sprigs
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons dry white wine
4 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
- In a small bowl, blend together butter, 2 teaspoons of the rosemary, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, and
1
⁄
2
teaspoon of the salt. Wrap butter in plastic wrap, forming a 1
1
⁄
2
-inch log. Chill for at least 2 hours, preferably 3–4. - Arrange veal chops in a single layer on a large baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then cover with remaining rosemary and thyme. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and sugar. Thoroughly rub oil and spices into chops.
- In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add rosemary sprigs and garlic, sautéing until fragrant but not brown. Increase heat to high, then add veal, cooking chops until they are brown and a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 130°F. Add wine and cook until reduced by about half, about 30 seconds, then add chicken broth until reduced again by half. Drizzle sauce over chops.
- Serve chops with rosemary butter sauce atop each one.
We know from Victorian paintings that children often stood to eat their food while at the same table with adults. This was not only due to basic necessity — not all families possessed enough chairs — but as a way to denote a lower status. It was also believed that eating while standing or sitting upright promoted digestion. Luckily, rules like this had relaxed by the Edwardian era.