Last night was a revelation. We decided to cook veal for the first time and think it may be our new favorite! We selected our menu (Cauliflower and Brie Soup, Veal Kottwitz, and Lemon Mousse) and headed off to the grocery store. Unfortunately, we had waited sort of late to start and the store didn't have veal. We came home and unloaded what we did have. I started cooking as Jerry and Jillian headed out to get the veal. We were lucky that U had veal so they didn't end up in the West End again.
The mousse needed to get into the frig so it could set and so it was the recipe I started flipping to as Jerry was leaving. I spied a recipe for Crepes Souffle Praline and mentioned it to him. His thought was that it sounded better than the lemon mousse he had picked out and so we switched recipes and added a couple of ingredients to his list.
The new dessert recipe starts out with crepes. I made the batter in my new food processor (thanks, Jill...you pick the best Christmas presents) and the first one in the skillet flopped. The rest turned out beautifully and were embarrassingly easy. The meringue didn't turn out exactly right. It looked more like divinity candy, but with all the sugar and rum it was yummy anyway. Crepes were assembled and left to wait their seven minutes of oven time just before serving. On to the artichokes...
I know that I didn't do this correctly. Artichoke bottoms? I looked it up online so that I knew exactly what we were talking about. Still, the product I ended up with didn't have a good texture and tasted terrible. Good thing I kept the tender stalks and this is what we used in the veal dish. Jerry took the lead on the veal dish while I messed up the artichoke bottoms and generally chopped my way through the evening.
The Cauliflower and Brie soup was really good, but the general consensus was that it wasn't as good as the Oyster Chowder. Still, it was creamy and you could taste the brie. The texture was a little weird with the cauliflower and two runs through the food processor didn't get it as smooth as we would have liked. The brie melted like a dream and didn't cause a clean-up headache like some cheeses do in a pan.
The VEAL!!!! You all have to do this recipe. It was the best ever. We used the Creole Meat Seasoning on it and our new sauteure pan. Perfection. Fresh lemon...yummy. The artichokes were good in it too, actually. This may be our all time favorite recipe, as I can't imagine anything else tasting quite so perfect. Jerry's eyebrows went up when I reached for my third (partial) helping, so I quickly withdrew my hand from the dish. Still, I am really looking forward to leftovers at lunch.
The Crepes Souffle Praline dish was really good. Not too sweet. When we make this again (and we will), I will serve it with some vanilla ice cream and a warm praline sauce drizzled over it. The Bailey's was a wonderful little something to sip with it as well.
That is it for this meal. It was incredible!
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Tonight was the perfect example of giving Jana the directions and getting out of the way. We ended up with thinly cut veal which meant more flour in the breading than I think the recipe was expecting. When we added the artichoke and mushrooms you could tell that we needed more wine than the recipe called for to loosen all the goodies off the bottom of the pan. Jana said "should I add more wine" and before I could answer the bottom of the bottle was pointed directly at the bottom of the microwave. A couple of good "glugs" later we were getting closer. We stirred and tested, then added another "glug". It made all the difference in the world. Recipes get you close, gut feelings get you closer, and good wine seals the deal.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that when a recipe needs a "glug" of wine..the chef does also.
ReplyDeleteThe meal was awesome! Now, I am not a soup eater, but I have to say that once again the cauliflower proved that it has been underrated. The Cauliflower and Brie soup was unbelievably delicious. The veal was perfect. The Crepes Souffle Praline dessert was superb.
Is scrumptious a word? Then that's the word to describe this entire meal!