Dinner-October 22, 2011
Veal Scaloppini in a Calvados Cream Sauce, Roasted Vegetables and Green Beans
We were invited to our neighbors, Charles and Susan Palmer’s home for dinner. I was looking forward to it, because Susan said she would serve veal and a white Burgundy
Their other dinner guests were Dr. Steve Padilla and his partner, Maggie Santiago.
When I arrived there was a lovely selection of cheeses and crackers and French bread and a pate spread out on the counter next to the kitchen.
Steve and Maggie are serious food and wine lovers. I believe Steve said he is the President of the local chapter of a national wine organization and he goes to wine events all over the U.S.
Finally, around we called Suzette and found out that she was on her way home after a record evening’s business at the Bistro. The favorable restaurant review in the Friday Albuquerque Journal Venue section must have made an impression on lots of folks. http://www.nmagelessliving.com/ here is the link to Suzette's website for the Center where you can read the four star restaurant review of the Bistro in the Albuquerque Journal.
When Suzette arrived, Susan asked me if I could fetch the roasted vegetables left over from our Friday evening meal and I did. Then she asked me to help her cook the veal dish. One of the best things about eating at the Palmer’s is that we get to cook the beautiful ingredients she buys and Susan graciously cleans up our cooking mess, so their dinner parties are perfect, because we get to cook and enjoy a lovely dinner and do not need to clean up.
The recipe for the veal was from the Gourmet Cookbook and quite simple. Sautéed veal with the pan deglazed with Calvados and then cream. Susan and I were not sure whether to add any extra flavorings to the dish and finally decided to keep it simple and as near the recipe as possible. I lightly salted and peppered the beautiful thinly sliced fresh veal scaloppini from Tully’s and then we sautéed them in butter and canola oil and then set to the side. Then we poured off the excess cooking oil and deglazed one pan with the ¼ cup of the same Calvados Menorval that we had served last night and poured that over the veal slices. I then deglazed the other pan with 2 or 3 cups of heavy cream and then added to it the accumulated pan drippings and Calvados from the veal slices and added one smashed clove of garlic and a little more salt and thickened the cream sauce and then returned the veal slices to the thickened sauce and reheated and turned the veal slices to integrate the sauces and coat them with the sauce and heat them. The result was a sauce of great elasticity, yet one that clung to the meat and still flowed freely. I do not understand the chemistry of how the sauce gained elasticity but it was pretty neat.
The sauce’s flavor was a very mild but subtle, a delicious white sauce; although most people at the table added salt and pepper. Susan had roasted potatoes, so we plated up the veal slices with some of the sauce and some of the roasted vegetables, some beautiful blanched haricots vert (Costco) and the roasted potatoes. Then we poured the left over sauce into a pitcher and served it with the plates of food. Susan also served a Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse 2008 and we also drank some of the lovely Chateau Serene Pinot Noir that Steve and Maggie had brought.
After dinner I went home again and got a bottle of sauternes which I served with the lovely chilled lemon mousse Susan made.
A wonderful evening of cooking and conversation about the some of the things I love best; food and wine.
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