Quenelles of Veal

This entry gives only the ingredient list; the method belonged to the classical quenelle technique every student of the period was expected to know. The notes below fill in what the list assumes.

• What the butter, flour and stock are forThey are not part of the meat mixture in the obvious sense — cooked together they make a panada, a stiff flour paste that binds the pounded veal. Melt the butter, stir in the flour, add the stock and cook it to a smooth ball that leaves the sides of the pan, then cool it completely before working it into the meat.
• Second white stockThe second, weaker extraction from bones already used once for first stock — lighter in colour and body than a first stock. A mild unsalted chicken or veal stock stands in; avoid anything dark or heavily reduced, since the point of a white quenelle is pallor.
• Quarter pintIn an Imperial pint of 20 fl oz, a quarter pint is 5 fl oz, or about 140 ml. Recipes of this school are Imperial throughout, so scale accordingly if you are working from American cups.
• Pounding the vealThe fillet is trimmed of every scrap of sinew and fat, then pounded to a paste and rubbed through a fine sieve. A food processor does the work in a minute, but the sieving still matters — it is what separates a quenelle from a meatball.
• What the list leaves outQuenelle mixtures of this type are seasoned with salt, white pepper and a little mace or nutmeg, and bound with egg, usually one or two yolks or a whole egg per pound of meat. Cream is often beaten in at the end. Follow the book's own general quenelle instructions if you have them, since proportions of egg vary from kitchen to kitchen.
• Poach, never boilThis is the hinge. Shape the mixture between two wetted dessertspoons, slide the quenelles into salted water or stock held at a bare shiver, around 170-180F, and cook until just firm, roughly 8-12 minutes depending on size. A rolling boil breaks them up and makes them coarse and dry.
• Test one firstPoach a single small quenelle before shaping the rest. If it falls apart, the mixture needs more egg; if it is rubbery and tight, more cream or a spoonful of stock. This trial is standard practice and is worth the five minutes.
• YieldA pound of veal with its panada makes roughly 18-24 spoon-shaped quenelles — an entrée for four to six, or a garnish for a larger number when served in soup or with a velouté.