French in a Flash: Veal Stew Forestière Recipe

By
Kerry Saretsky
a photograph of Kerry Seretsky, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kerry Saretsky

Kerry Saretsky interned at Serious Eats in 2008, and wrote the French in a Flash recipe column. She also writes her own blog on modernized French cuisine called French Revolution Food.

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Updated Apr. 06, 2021
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Kerry Saretsky

No one can name a dish like the French. My favorite moments of culinary school were spent sitting, listening to whyCreme Dubarrywas named after a countess, or which heroic feat inspired what battle-slain chicken. The names of dishes christened regally after landed aristocracy and great victory imbue a sense of grandeur, of pride, even of haughtiness, that accompany such church-mice affairs as cauliflower soup and lowly beef stews.

为estièreis one such name that always reproduces scenes of French legend and lore in my mind as I stand puttering about the stove. Forestière means forestry, or the forester. My stepfather Alain grew up in Normandy, and he always told me high tales of chasing hares through the forest with his dog, getting lost between wooden pillars under a canopy of leaves, and sitting down to a Normandy apple with some bread and Normandy butter on an arched, awaiting root. So whenever I make any dish forestière—a traditional flavoring combination ofmushrooms and cream, and most often ham我想起了一个美丽的国家,丰盛,natural, even medieval, where wild boars bristled through the woody stumps and their tame cousins dug for truffles. I find it beautiful, and evocative.

This stew is the embodiment of my fancy: tender chunks of veal, luscious cream, woodsy thyme, earthy mushrooms, and the salty crunch of crisped ham (no doubt an unfortunate descendant of my medieval boars and truffle pigs). Pour yourself a glass of Normandy Calvados to crown a humble bowl of stew.

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Recipe Facts

Cook:2 hrs 45 mins
Total:2 hrs 45 mins
Serves:3 to 4 servings

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  • 2tablespoonslightolive oil

  • 1 1/2poundsveal stew meat

  • 4shallots, diced

  • 2clovesgarlic, diced

  • Two8-ounce boxessliced wild mushrooms (includingshiitake, oyster, cremini)

  • 1/2cupdry sherry

  • 2cupsbeef stock

  • 6stemsthyme

  • 2slicesJambon de Bayonne, orprosciutto

  • 1tablespoonbutter, room temperature

  • 1 1/2tablespoonsflour

  • 1/4cupcream

  • Saltand pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  2. In a stew pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Sear the cubes of meat on all sides. The meat will not be cooked through. Remove it to a plate while you get on with the rest of the stew.

  3. Add a bit of light olive oil or butter to the pot if it needs it, and lower the heat to medium-low. Add the shallots and the garlic and sweat very gently for 1 minute, until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic is fragrant.

  4. Add the mushrooms to the pot, and turn up the heat slightly. Cook until soft and a touch brown around the edges: 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. 刮一下潘的雪利酒。为safety, pour the 1/2 cup sherry into a separate cup, take the pan off the heat, and add it in. Turn the heat up so that the sherry bubbles and reduces.

  6. Add the meat back into the pot.

  7. Add the beef stock and the thyme. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the pot boils, reduce the heat to low, and cook covered for 2 hours.

  8. Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Lay out two slices of Jambon de Bayonne or Prosciutto on the baking sheet, and place in the 450°F oven for 10 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool. Brake the crispy ham into salty shards.

  9. Make a beurre manié by mashing together the butter and the flour. Stir into the stew, and let it bubble up a few minutes until the stew has noticeably thickened. Take the pot off the heat, and stir in the cream. Pull out the stems of thyme. Add the crispy shards of ham on top.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
670 Calories
35g Fat
25g Carbs
63g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 670
% Daily Value*
Total Fat35g 45%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Cholesterol223mg 74%
Sodium1012mg 44%
Total Carbohydrate25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein63g
Vitamin C 10mg 51%
Calcium 87mg 7%
Iron 4mg 25%
Potassium 1515mg 32%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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