Veal Vol-au-Vent

Veal Cheeks, Spring Onions, Vin Jaune Sauce, Sea Salt

Chef Ian Anderson of LaLou | Brooklyn

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Adapted by StarChefs  |  February 2025  |  Photo: Will Blunt

INGREDIENTS

Veal Cheeks:
10 pounds veal cheeks, soaked in water overnight
10 quarts brown veal stock
200 grams halved onions
200 grams halved carrots
100 grams celery
10 grams parsley stems
2 grams cloves

Vin Jaune Sauce:
Yield: 2 quarts
100 grams butter
600 grams minced shallots
300 grams minced button mushrooms
750 grams vin jaune
200 grams Coteaux du Layon wine
2 quarts heavy cream

Spring Onions:
50 grams butter
5 spring onions, bottoms halved, tops thinly sliced and reserved
50 grams vin jaune
Kosher salt

Vol-au-Vent:
2 sheets puff pastry
2 eggs, whisked

To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 serving
Kosher salt
Flaky sea salt

METHOD

For the Veal Cheeks:
In a large pot over medium heat, add all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until veal is fork-tender, skimming surface of any impurities that arise. Remove from heat and transfer mixture into a large nonreactive container. Let cool.

For the Vin Jaune Sauce:
In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallots and mushrooms and sweat until shallots are soft and translucent. Deglaze pan with wines and cook until au sec, stirring constantly. Stir in cream. Reduce heat to low. Cook until mixture has reduced by twenty-five percent. Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes. Strain into a nonreactive container set over an ice bath. Let cool.

For the Spring Onions:
Heat oven to 400°F. In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion bottoms, cut-side-down. Cook until onions are slightly browned. Deglaze pan with vin jaune. Season with salt. Transfer pan to oven and cook until onions are fork-tender. Transfer to a nonreactive container and reserve.

For the Vol-au-Vent:
Heat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured work surface, lay out 1 sheet puff pastry. Brush with egg wash. Set aside. Lay out the second sheet puff pastry. Using 70-millimeter ring cutters, punch out rounds. Lay rounds on top of the eggwashed puff pastry. With the remaining dough, use 90-millimeter ring cutters to punch out rounds. Place rounds over top of smaller rounds. Transfer pastries to a sheet tray and freeze. Once frozen, bake 20 minutes. Let cool.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a pot over medium-low heat, warm Veal Cheeks. Season with salt. In a separate pot over medium-low heat, warm Spring Onions. Season with salt. In a separate pot over medium-low heat, warm Vin Jaune Sauce. Season with salt. On a work surface, use a paring knife to cut out the center of a Vol-au-Vent. Add desired amount of warm Veal Cheeks and Spring Onions to the center of the Vol-au-Vent. Top Vol-au-Vent with desired amount of Spring Onions. Pour warm Vin Jaune Sauce over top. Finish with flaky salt.

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