Milk-Fed Veal Chop with Morel Cream and Buttered Asparagus

⏱ 55 min · Serves 2

A proper restaurant plate for two: a thick milk-fed veal chop basted golden in foaming butter, rested pink, and draped in a silky morel cream sharpened with Vin Jaune. Sweet green asparagus and a slick of pan juices finish it. Simple components, precise cooking — this is the sort of dish that makes a table go quiet.

Per serving: 915 kcal · 68.0g protein · 13.0g carbs · 64.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 milk-fed veal chops, bone-in, about 350g each and 4cm thick
• 20g dried morels (or 150g fresh morels)
• 250ml just-boiled water (to soak dried morels)
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 60g unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 banana shallot, finely diced
• 60ml Vin Jaune, dry sherry or dry white vermouth
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 400g asparagus, woody ends snapped off
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Take the veal chops out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking and pat them very dry. Season generously with salt on all sides, including the fat edge.
2. Soak the dried morels in the just-boiled water for 20 minutes. Lift them out, squeeze gently, and halve any large ones. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or muslin, leaving the grit behind, and reserve 150ml. (If using fresh morels, rinse quickly, halve, and skip to step 3 using 150ml chicken stock instead.)
3. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high with the oil. Lay in the chops and sear undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until deeply golden. Turn, add 30g butter, the garlic and thyme, drop the heat to medium and baste continuously for 4-5 minutes, tipping the chops onto their fat edge for a minute to render it.
4. Cook to an internal temperature of 54C for blushing pink (about 10-12 minutes total for a 4cm chop). Transfer to a warm plate, spoon over some pan butter, and rest for 10 minutes — this is not optional.
5. Pour off all but a spoonful of fat from the pan. Add the shallot and a knob of butter and soften over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the morels and fry for 2 minutes until they smell nutty.
6. Deglaze with the Vin Jaune, scraping the base, and let it almost disappear. Add the reserved morel liquor and reduce by half, then pour in the cream and simmer 4-5 minutes until it coats a spoon. Stir in the Dijon, lemon juice and any resting juices from the veal. Season.
7. Meanwhile, cook the asparagus in well-salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes until just tender, drain, and toss with the remaining butter and a pinch of salt.
8. Carve the veal off the bone into thick slices or serve the chops whole. Spoon the morel cream over and around, lay the asparagus alongside, scatter with chives and a little flaky salt, and serve at once.