Tête de Veau — Calf's Head with Sauce Gribiche

Tête de veau (calf's head) is the grandest and most elaborate offal preparation in French cuisine — the entire boned head of a calf, blanched, rolled, poached for hours until the skin is gelatinously tender and the tongue and brain are perfectly cooked, then sliced and served with sauce gribiche (a piquant emulsion of hard-boiled egg yolks, mustard, capers, and cornichons). It is a dish of unapologetic nose-to-tail eating that remains a staple of Parisian bistros and Lyon's bouchons. The preparation: a boned calf's head (your butcher prepares this) is soaked in cold acidulated water for 24 hours (the acid whitens the skin). Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes, refresh, and scrape any remaining hair. Roll the head around the tongue and tie securely with butcher's string into a cylindrical shape. Poach in a blanc (water acidulated with lemon juice and thickened with a tablespoon of flour — the flour keeps the skin white) with mirepoix, bouquet garni, and salt at 85°C for 2.5-3 hours. The brain is poached separately in court-bouillon for 15 minutes (it requires less cooking and a different texture). Slice the rolled head into 2cm rounds (each slice reveals a mosaic of skin, tongue, and cheek meat). Serve warm on a hot plate with the brain alongside, napped generously with sauce gribiche. The sauce: mash 3 hard-boiled egg yolks with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, emulsify with 200ml neutral oil (like making mayonnaise), add chopped capers, cornichons, parsley, tarragon, and chervil. The piquancy of the sauce is essential against the rich, gelatinous head.

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