Blanquette de Veau (Creamy French Veal Stew)

• 900 g Veal shoulder
• 3 medium Carrot
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 2 pieces Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 60 g Unsalted butter
• 250 g Button mushrooms
• 30 g Plain flour
• 2 Egg yolk
• 150 g Crème fraiche
• 1 medium Lemon
• 1.5 liters Water

1. Cut the veal into large bite-sized pieces. Peel the carrots and cut into thick rounds; peel the onion and cut into wedges. Put the veal, carrots, onion, bay leaves, salt, white pepper and water into a Dutch oven.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skimming any foam from the surface. Reduce to low, cover and simmer very gently for 75 to 90 minutes, until the veal is tender and the carrots are soft but not collapsing. Keep the liquid at a bare simmer so the broth stays pale.
3. Meanwhile, trim and halve any large mushrooms. Melt 20 g of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until tender and lightly glossy. Set aside.
4. When the veal is tender, lift the meat and vegetables into a bowl with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid through a colander into a clean saucepan and discard the bay leaves. Return the veal and vegetables to the Dutch oven off the heat.
5. Melt the remaining 40 g butter in the saucepan over medium-low heat, then stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without colouring. Gradually whisk in about 750 ml of the hot cooking liquid until smooth, then simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly thickened and the flour taste has cooked out. Stir in the cooked mushrooms.
6. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the crème fraiche and the juice of half the lemon. Take the sauce off the heat and whisk in a ladleful of hot sauce to warm the egg mixture, then whisk it back into the pan. Return to very low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until velvety; do not let it boil.
7. Pour the sauce over the veal and vegetables and warm gently for 3 to 5 minutes until piping hot. Taste and adjust with a little more lemon juice if needed. Serve straight away, spooning plenty of sauce over each portion.

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