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Veal, Fricandeau of

A slow‑cooked veal dish braised with bacon, vegetables, herbs, and spices, finished in the oven.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 21,601 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Veal, Fricandeau of

Oven, in the book's wordsA brisk oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a brisk oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the veal

  1. Trim the veal, removing any lean parts and making 2-3 slits in the middle for seasoning. Lard the veal thickly with fat bacon.

Braise

  1. In a stewpan, layer the sliced vegetables, herbs, and spices, topped with a few slices of bacon to create a base for the veal.

  2. Place the veal on top, sprinkle with salt, and add enough stock to cover the bacon without touching the veal.

  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat for about 2.5 hours, basting frequently.

Finish and serve

  1. Before serving, place the veal in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) to firm the bacon.

  2. Serve the fricandeau with a glaze made from the reduced cooking liquid and seasonal vegetables.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Carrot + oniontop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together21,601 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Mace + white peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,695 recipes

    Shared aroma: myrcene (balsamic, herbaceous).

  3. Carrot + macetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,592 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  4. Veal + carrottop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together3,015 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Onion + macetop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together7,078 recipes

    Shared aroma: eugenol (clove, spicy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Veal
Forms the main meat, which becomes tender through long, slow simmering.
Fat bacon
Adds fat and moisture that keeps the lean veal from drying out during cooking.
Stock
Provides the cooking liquid that gently braises the veal and forms the base for the glaze.
Carrots
Release sweetness and flavour into the stock as they cook beneath the veal.
Onions
Add savoury depth and sweetness to the cooking liquid as they soften.

The step that matters

Simmering the veal gently. A rolling boil toughens the meat's proteins and can dry the outside. Keeping the liquid at a low simmer for the full cooking time lets the connective tissue soften while the veal stays moist.

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (veal, carrot, onion, mace):

  1. Parsleyfits better
  2. Celeryfits better
  3. Marjoramfits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against veal, carrot, onion, mace. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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