Blanquette de Veau (or veal stew in a white sauce) is a classic French dish of tender veal enrobed in a creamy lemon spiked sauce. My Slow Cooker Blanquette de Veau is much easier to make and is ideal for special occasions.
Use Rose Veal for Blanquette de Veau
Do check the provision of your veal, and be sure that you are using meat that from calves that have not been raised in crates.
It used to be that all veal was from male dairy calves who were cruelly taken from their mothers, raised in tiny crates and then slaughtered after only a few weeks. However, veal crates were banned in the UK in 1990, in Europe in 2007, and the US and Canada, state by state and province by province, are following suit and banning them too. It can’t happen fast enough in my opinion.
Crate raised veal is thankfully becoming more rare, and pasture raised or free-range veal (sometimes called Rose Veal) is no crueler than any other ethically raised meat. If you cannot get ethically raised, non crated veal, you can use pork shoulder in this recipe, but again do be sure it too has been ethically raised. This is also a more frugal option, and it does taste very good.
Non Traditional But Very Authentic
This is far from a traditional Blanquette de Veau. It does, however, taste like the real thing and I speak from experience, having eaten it in France many times. Traditionally, the veal is blanched before it goes into the stew, which involves plunging it into boiling water, then cold water, draining it, and then cooking it. This just seems like a step (or two) too far for the lazy cook in me, so in my Blanquette, the veal is browned. While traditionalists may be appalled, my Slow Cooker Blanquette has proved popular at several dinner parties, and any leftovers taste even better the next day.
Can I Make Blanquette de Veau in the Slow Cooker in Advance?
Yes, you can make it the day before and reheat it gently, just loosen the sauce with a tiny bit of boiling water and perhaps a touch more cream.
How To Serve Blanquette de Veau
Blanquette de Veau is traditionally served with rice, but I like it with crushed new potatoes, or even over noodles. I usually serve a bright green vegetable, like broccoli or green beans, alongside. For a kitchen supper, it is lovely served in bowls, with a crisp green salad and lots of crusty bread, but if you are talking to anyone who is actually French, please don’t tell them I said that!
Blanquette de Veau in the Slow Cooker – Printable Recipe
Blanquette de Veau in The Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- about 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds veal shoulder cut in 2 inch pieces( ask your butcher to do this for you)
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground peppera
- bout 18 small shallots or baby onions peeled and cut in half if they are too large
- 2 sticks of celery halved
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic
- a sprig of thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken or veal stock
- 2 cups chestnut mushrooms or white mushrooms, sliced or 2 cups button mushrooms
- ¼ to ½ cup heavy double cream
- a squeeze of lemon
- flat leaf parsley chopped or dried parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Brush the inside of the slow cooker with a little of the oil.
- Heat half of the remainder of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Place the shallots or baby onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Mix the flour, salt and pepper together, and coat the pieces of veal in this mixture.
- Brown the veal in batches in the frying pan, adding a bit more oil from time to time if necessary.
- As you brown each batch, put it in the slow cooker.
- Put the celery and carrot pieces on top of the meat.
- Grate the garlic over and add the thyme and bay leaf.
- Pour the stock over top of everything, and cook on low for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, remove the sprig of thyme, the bay leaf, and the carrot and celery sticks. Add the mushrooms and stir through gently.
- Cook the stew for a further 30 minutes or until the veal is done.
- Meat should have an internal temperature of at least 165 F.There will be a lot of liquid in the slow cooker.
- Using a ladle, remove almost all of this liquid to a medium saucepan. (It probably won’t all come out easily, so don’t worry about the odd tablespoon or so in the bottom.)
- Bring the liquid in the saucepan to the boil.
- Continue to let it boil, with the lid off, until it is reduced by half, giving it a stir from time to time to stop it sticking.
- When the liquid has reduced, turn the heat back to low and stir in the cream, a bit at a time, until you get a nice creamy sauce.
- Add a good squeeze of lemon to balance the sauce.
- Taste for seasoning, adding salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.
- Add this sauce back to the meat and onions in the slow cooker and stir through.
- Serve garnished with the parsley.
did you make this recipe?
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Want More Slow Cooker and Stew Recipes?
Beef and Ale Stew – A Traditional British Recipe
Honey Garlic and Ginger Chicken in the Slow Cooker
Short Ribs in a Sweet and Spicy Sauce in the Slow Cooker
Chinese Style Beef in the Slow Cooker
Comments & Reviews
Miz Helen says
This recipe reminds me of a little french cafe that we loved, “once upon a time”! Hope you are having a good week and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
Miz Helen
April Harris says
I’m so pleased my recipe brought back happy memories, Miz Helen! Thank you 🙂