Blanquette de veau — the "white braise" of veal — achieves its characteristic ivory-white sauce through a technique that deliberately avoids any browning: the veal is poached (not seared), the sauce is a velouté made from the cooking liquid, and the final enrichment is a liaison of cream and egg yolk. The white sauce is the technique, not a default — it represents a specific French aesthetic of pallor and delicacy.
- **No browning at any stage:** The veal pieces are blanched (cold-start, brought to a boil, water discarded — removes blood and impurities without any colour development), then poached gently in fresh cold water. - **The velouté:** A white roux (flour + butter, cooked without colour) combined with the veal poaching liquid — strained. - **The liaison:** A mixture of egg yolks and cream beaten together, then tempered with hot sauce and stirred back in off heat. This enrichment must never boil after the liaison is added — the egg yolks curdle above 85°C. - **The garnish:** Pearl onions (glazed white — à blanc, without browning) and mushrooms cooked in lemon water (again, to maintain whiteness).
France: The Cookbook