Veal Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce
Regular readers of this site know I have a taste for veal. Its tender, delicate in flavor, and carefully done, always makes a meal special for me. The idea behind this dish was kind of a mix of two meals I’d made before: procedurally, the style of cooking was like another veal chop I had made while the sauce was inspired by a creamy mustard pasta which was a big hit. I love cooking chops (of whatever meat)–they’re quick to prepare, a crowd pleaser, and packed with flavor.
I was excited about this dish when I was planning it, but the result far exceeded my expectations. It was simply incredible and the flavor of the sauce was surprisingly complex. You couldn’t pick out that its exactly mustardy–just kind of tangy. Both the thyme and caraway give a great mellow, anisey sweetness that really accentuates the dijon. Overall, it wasn’t your typical super-rich cream sauce–more of a medium body really, which is perfect next to a clean, delicate flavor like veal. I couldn’t have been happier.
- 2 veal chops (~1.1 lbs)
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- ~1 tsp caraway seeds
- ~1 tsp capers
- 1/4-1/2 cup white wine
- big handful of thyme
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp dijon
- salt
- pepper
Lightly season the veal chops on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a medium/high heat pan, melt the butter and add a dab of oil. Once warmed up, add in the chops and brown them (as in put them in and don’t move them at all) for roughly 2-3 minutes per side. This will give a great crust on the outside of the chops. Once time is up, set the chops aside.
Meanwhile, finely dice the shallot and garlic. Sauté the shallot in the oil for roughly 5 minutes before adding the garlic for another minute along with the capers and caraway seeds. Deglaze the pan with white wine and scrape off every last brown bit in the pan. Finally, add in all of the remaining ingredients (except for the veal) and mix it well. Warm this up for two minutes or so (until the sauce is simmering).
Put the veal chops back in the pan, drop the heat below medium, and cover the pan.
Continue to simmer this for about 15 minutes, turning the chops once and basting with the sauce every few minutes.
Finally, the veal and the sauce are done, so go ahead and plate one chop per person. I served this with a side of pureed roasted butternut squash, cannellini beans, and garnished with some parsley and a few olives (the brininess cuts through the rich sauce nicely). Enjoy!
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