The SND kitchen is officially open again. We just cooked our first big meal in the new digs. To christen the place, Hungry Bear and I wanted to make a decadent multi-course dinner to celebrate the end of our moving process. We tossed around a few ideas for the main course, including braised pork belly, but went with veal chops with morel mushrooms. I couldn't pass up making the fantastic morel sauce. So, we created the menu as...
Chicken and Duck Mousse with Peppercorns
with a sweet French baguette and cornichons
~
Red Butter Lettuce with Baby Vegetables
carrots, radishes, cherry tomatoes, avocados and lemon Dijon vinaigrette
~
Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms
served with roasted parsnips purée and sautéed asparagus
~
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
topped with mini M&Ms, chocolate nibs or crushed pistachios
We picked up the liver mousse last week at the Serramonte Farmers' Market and saved it for this occasion. And this past Saturday, we bought the baby vegetables and some fresh morels at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. In our first SND post, we made the chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, so I thought it was fitting to make the dessert again.
The veal chops on their own are really good, but they're even better with a morel sauce made with cognac, dijon mustard and coconut cream. Yes, I said wrote coconut cream. Eric Ripert's recipe calls for crème fraîche, but we substituted coconut cream for two reasons. First, we have many cans of coconut milk in our pantry. Second, one of the SNDsters is a little lactose intolerant, so we try to minimize dairy products whenever possible.
Dinner was fabulous and fun. The liver mousse was a great starter and the salad with baby vegetables was much needed with this heavy meal. The veal chops and morels were delicious and no one missed the crème fraîche. The sweet parsnips purée paired well with the rich morel sauce. All in all, it was a very successful Sunday nite dinner. However, we're still getting a feel for the new stove and figuring out where the the best lighting is for photos.
Next up on SND is the recipe for these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
SNDsters: Garry, Karen, Jane, Mark, Hungry Bear, Chuck
Veal Chops with Morel Sauce Recipe
- 6 tablespoons of canola oil
- 1 pound morel mushrooms, cleaned, halved if large
- 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 6 thick-cut veal chops
- 1/2 cup Cognac
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3-4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the morels and sauté until they are tender and give up their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic and parsley and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Generously season veal chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in two large ovenproof sauté pans over high heat. Add 3 chops to each pan and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Place the pans into the oven to finish cooking the veal, about 5-6 minutes, or until desired doneness. Transfer the chops to a plate.
- Deglaze the pans with Cognac, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, then combine the liquid into one pan. Add Dijon mustard and stir to incorporate. Add the coconut cream, mushrooms, and any juices from the resting chops and bring to a boil. Adjust seasons to taste. To serve, place one chop on each plate and spoon the morels over the veal chops.
Makes 6 servings
[Adapted from A Return to Cooking by Eric Ripert | Michael Ruhlman]
[tags]veal, beef, chops, morels, mushrooms, cognac, dijon, mustard, coconut[/tags]
Veal Chops with Morel Mushrooms is a post from: Sunday Nite Dinner
Tags: beef, chops, coconut, cognac, dijon, morels, mushrooms, mustard, veal
