Veal Cutlet
created by Challenger Kyoko Kagata
Battle Veal
reverse-engineered by David J Rust

Ingredients:

Steps

1. Heat your oven to 300 degrees Farenheit. In a roasting pan, toss together the butter, foi gras, veal stock, prawns, 1 tablespoon of the truffles and mushrooms. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through. Drain off half of the resulting liquid, but keep the rest to coat and marinade the remaining prawn mixture. Set aside.

2. Pound the 6 cutlets flat. Spoon equal amounts of the prawn mixture into the center of each cutlet. Fold the veal over the mound in the middle and press the edges together to seal it loosely.

3. In a bowl, mix the eggs and water to form an egg wash. In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs, flour, fresh herbs and the remaining tablespoon of truffle.

4. Coat each filled cutlet with the egg wash and then cover each one with the crumb/flour mixture. Each cutlet should be completely covered.

5. In a hot skillet, saute each cutlet in the clarified butter until brown. Remove from the heat and drain. Serve hot.

Serves 6 as a medium entree.

Iron Chef Notes:

The challenger served this dish with something called "Perigueux" sauce. I'm afraid I didn't know how to spell this when I originally reverse-engineered this dish, and this being the case, I could not find references to it anywhere. I'm fairly sure it's a common ingredient in French cusine, but since I've never had it, I can't speak for how well it would go with this dish.

UPDATE: Another Iron Chef fan wrote to me and let me know that the sauce that the challenger used is spelled "Perigueux". He wrote: "[pay-ree-GOUH] A rich brown sauce flavored with MADEIRA and TRUFFLES. The sauce, which goes with a variety of dishes including meat, game, poultry and eggs, is named after Périgueux, a city in the Périgord region of Southwest France that is noted for its truffles. Dishes using the sauce are often labeled á la PƒRIGOURDINE or simply Périgueux." So, to Shaun, I'd like to say a hearty "Thank You"! I appreciate your insight and assistance!

In addition to the truffle bits that the Challenger added to the flour and breadcrumbs, I was fairly sure I saw some green herbs in there, too. Feel free to add whatever herbs you feel would go best with this French-style dish.

Cooking Notes:

I find cooking with veal to be problematical. The conditions that the animals are raised in are usually quite cruel and inhumane. However, if you can find -as I did- a rancher or farmer who raises free-range veal, this will alleviate most of these problems. Sleepy Cat Farms in Minnesota is one of these places. Now, the meat will not be as tender if it is raised free-range. The best way to infuse the tenderness into the meat, is to soak it, in the refrigerator, for 4-6 hours in heavy cream. Make sure that the veal is completely covered in the cream. When it is done, simply pat it dry and discard the liquid.