The Calf's Head (Veal Head) is a traditional dish that is served in
Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy). Some restaurants in
France cook it whole with the bone and cut it to portions in front of the
customer. Serving it that way is in art not only the cooking but the carving
too. However it is better not to present it in that way to sensitive souls. This
dish also counts among typical Swiss recipes. This type of authentic Swiss food
is mostly found in the Jura region.
Ingredients:
• Calf's head: 1 piece
• Tongue: 1 piece
WHITE:
• 120g flour (20g
or 1 tablespoon per liter)
• 10cl of white
vinegar or lemon juice (1 tablespoon per liter)
• 20cl of cold
water
• 1 onion sticked
with 2 cloves
• 4 carrots
(each carrot split in 4)
• 2 leeks (the white parts only)
slit crosswise
• 1 bouquet garni (1 thyme branch,
1 laurel leaf, 1 small branch of celery, 6 branches of parsley)
• 2-3 peeled
garlic cloves
• 1 hand full of
sea salt
• 24 peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons
of oil
Preparation:
First you need a calf's head, buy it from your butcher.
You can buy it with or without the bone depending on your preferences.
STEP
1: BLANCH
Calf's
head: It is better to blanch it quickly in order to get rid
of all traces of impurity, especially as it also makes the flesh firmer. To do
this, immerse the head in a pot of warm water if boneless roll it on itself
(see pic1), bring the water to light simmering for about 20mn, skim regularly.
Then drain and refresh under cold water. This way, it will not produce too much
foam during the cooking which will preserve its white color even more. Drain it
well and dry it by dabbing with an absorbent cloth. Then rub its leather with a
lemon cut into quarters so it remains white when cooked.
Tongue: In
order to ease the trimming process we are going to poach the tongue 10-15mn in
a pot of boiling water, when done drain and refresh it with cold water. The rough
skin (white part) will be much easier to remove.
STEP
1: Prepare the "WHITE"
Like all foods that tend to darken when cooked, in
order to stay white the calf's head is cooked in a "WHITE", which is
a court bouillon (broth) with flour.
Boil about 6 liters of water in a pot high and wide
enough to receive the head (thick aluminum is the most suitable material).
Mix 120g flour (20g or 1 tablespoon per liter) with 10cl
of white vinegar or lemon juice (1 tablespoon per liter) and 20cl of cold
water, without making lumps. Then pour it in the boiling water through a strainer,
and beat vigorously for 5 good minutes, so that the flour remains suspended in
the liquid instead of falling at the bottom of pot.
Add
all the traditional spices of a good broth: 1 onion sticked with 2 cloves, 4
carrots (each carrot split in 4), 2 leeks (the white parts only) slit crosswise,
bouquet garni (1 sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of celery, 6 parsley
branches with their tails), 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic (optional), and a good
handful of sea salt and two dozen peppercorns and 2 tablespoons of oil.
(Optional) Aromatization: According to the recipe or
the accompanying sauce planned, the cooking broth can be flavored with a bottle
of dry white wine, or even vermouth, white and dry. In one case as in the
other, the addition must be done before introducing the head. Now your WHITE is
ready.
Warning: Use
a container deep and wide enough to accommodate not only the head but also
because when boiling, the WHITE rises and overflows like milk!
STEP
2: Cooking in the WHITE
The
Veal Head: Bring the white to slightly simmer (It shouldn't
boil), put the calf's head in the pot, if boneless wrap it in a cloth by tying
the 4 corners together. You can cover the pot with a cloth rather than a cover
to avoid the overflowing! A head with the bone's cooking time can take up to 3h30
minutes while a boneless Veal Head takes 2h00 to 2h30. Best is to test the
cooking with a fork, it should enter easily. The Subcutaneous meat should be
soft, but the skin must remain gelatinous, and especially not become soft as a
flaccid calf's head is not beautiful to see, neither good to eat! The Veal Head
must always be covered with water, if need be add boiling water during the
cooking.
The
Tongue: Put the tongue in the WHITE with the Veal Head for
2h00-2h30 (approximately 1h00 for 500g). Take the tongue out and plunge it in a
basin of very cold water. Trim the tongue by relieving it of its rough skin and
fatty parts of the horn.
STEP
3: Serving and preserving
Serving
the boneless Head: Once cooked you can cut it into slices which is the
most common way to serve it (see below). Another way is to unfold the head and
portion it into cubes, do the same with the tongue, which allows to portion the
quantity of tongue and head evenly between the dishes. It is imperative to
serve calf's head on hot plates so that it does not freeze and remains
gelatinous. For the same reason, it is recommended to keep it warm for a
possible second service.
Serving
the head on the bone: You can carve it into portions in front of your guests
if you fell confident enough, or you can portion it in your kitchen. It is
imperative to serve calf's head on hot plates so that it does not freeze and
remains gelatinous. For the same reason, it is recommended to keep it warm for
a possible second service.
Side
Dish: Serve with 3 small potatoes (peeled), a half
hard boiled egg, and 1 pickle cut into slices, per person. Heat them up in the same pot you are using to heat up the portions of veal head.
Sauces:
Tastes good with Gribiche Sauce or Tartar Sauce served aside
How
to preserve it: The best way is to cut the tongue and the head into
cubes, and put them in bags separate the tongue and head evenly between the
bags (I advise you put 1 to 2 portions per bag). fill each bag with the broth
and put in the fridge. The broth will harden in the way of a gelatin. All you
need to do when you want to eat is open a bag pour it in a small pot add Serve
with 3 small potatoes (peeled), a half hardboiled egg, and 1 pickle cut into
slices, per portion and heat it up.
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