Veal-And-Crayfish Stew
Submitted by sonic2469
Veal and crayfish stew in a sherry cream sauce with mushrooms, nutmeg, and lemon. Tender braised veal meets sweet crayfish tails in this elegant French-inspired dish.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
1READY
1This veal and crayfish stew is French bistro cooking at its most refined. Boneless veal simmers low in chicken broth with aromatics until fork-tender, then gets reunited with a silky sherry cream sauce, whole mushroom caps, and sweet crayfish tails.
The technique here is classic blanquette-style. The veal poaches gently rather than browning first, which keeps the meat pale and the sauce light-colored. Skimming the scum early is a must. That foam carries off impurities and gives you a clean, clear braising liquid that becomes the foundation of your sauce.
The roux waits on the side while the meat cooks, a smart move that means zero downtime. Once the veal is tender, strain the braising liquid directly into the butter-flour mixture. Whisk constantly as it thickens, then stir in dry sherry and heavy cream. The ½ lemon that cooked with the veal adds brightness you’d miss if it weren’t there.
Pro Tips
- Don’t skip the white peppercorns. Black pepper would muddy the color of this elegant, pale sauce.
- If you can’t find crayfish tails, the recipe suggests lobster meat as a swap. Shrimp works too, added in the last 5 minutes.
- Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve for a velvety sauce with no bits of vegetable.
- Serve over buttered egg noodles or steamed rice to soak up every drop of that cream sauce.
Variations
- Lighter version: Replace half the cream with whole milk and reduce butter in the roux to 3 tablespoons.
- White wine swap: Use dry white wine instead of sherry for a crisper, less sweet finish.
Ingredients
Directions
COMBINE THE VEAL and 4 cups broth in a 5-quart heavy pot over high heat on top of the stove.
Cover and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that comes to the top of the pot, then add the remaining broth, the onion, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 1¼ hours, or until meat is just tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot, over low heat, and whisk in the flour.
Cook, stirring, 2 minutes and remove from heat.
Set aside until the meat is cooked.
When the meat is done, remove it from the liquid with a slotted spoon.
Pick off and discard any vegetables that cling to the veal.
Place the butter-flour mixture over medium-low heat on the stove.
Strain the cooking liquid into it, whisking, and add the sherry and cream.
Discard vegetables in the strainer.
Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Replace the meat in the pot and add the mushrooms and crayfish.
Pour in the sauce, place the pot, uncovered, over medium heat and cook 10 minutes.
To serve, pour into a serving dish.
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