Veal Scallopini With Mushrooms And A Mustard Cream Sauce

A couple of nights ago I got a call from my friend Silvia saying she had just made my Sauteed Scallops in Mustard Sauce and loved them, particularly the sauce.  Could she use the same sauce on something else? This, if you don't know her, is a major event.  At last count I think she makes about three or four of my recipes and never tires out.  Sometimes I call her to get one of those recipes that are now long gone from my repertoire.  Over the years, as she gains more and more confidence in her cooking,  she gives them her spin  Every so often she tells me she is going to take cooking lessons.  Never happens. One thing about Silvia, though, she loves her food! When she calls with such enthusiasm I jump at the chance to throw her a line and see if I can finally hook her into cooking more often.   Last night I actually found a recipe that I thought I could get her to try.  Just so she would branch out  and give the old stuff a rest. Veal in a mustard cream sauce is a classic.  So is wild rabbit,  for that matter.  But I know the latter would never fly. When I read the recipe I thought either the mustard or the tarragon had to go;  but I was wrong.  Everything works here and the recipe is perfect for a quick Sunday dinner like we had last night or a dinner party for six.  If you get all your prep stuff done ahead of time, it comes together in less than 10 minutes.  Accompany, as suggested, with orzo or yellow rice as an alternative.  At this time of the year, the peach cobbler I served for dessert would be perfection! I am a sucker for veal as I don't always find it where I live now.  When I do, I stock up and save some in the freezer.  Fresh scallops is another luxury here, but I never buy them because I can always smell them and I never buy fish I can smell.  Every time I go to New York  one of the first things I do is walk down to my old fish market on the Upper East Side and,  if they are in season, stock up on my favorite bay scallops. (You can never smell a thing in that place.  They might as well be selling stationary).  Then I go back to Silvia's apartment and cook them in a mustard sauce with white rice, accompanied by a dry Muscadet from Sherry- Lehman.   Nirvana!  For the recipe click below. Although it doesn't tell you to do so, pound the veal a bit and dry the scallops in paper towels.   I always like to coat them with a very thin coating of flour right before I add them to the butter to help them brown.  Use fresh tarragon, it's milder; or use half the amount if you are using dried.  Try cooking with the same wine you are serving for dinner.  And use all of the cream, it needs it.  I only used half as, supposedly, we are "on regime" and wished I had used the full cup.  The recipe calls for coarse grained Dijon.  I used regular and felt it went better. 10/14 Made these last night pounded thin and this time used the coarse grained Dijon.  It was out of this world! you might also need to use another 1 tb butter making it 4TB before you add the mushrooms. Served with spaghetti drizzled with a little olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yield: Makes 6 servings Ingredients 1 1/4 pounds veal scallops, about 1/8 inch thick 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter 1/4 cup chopped shallots 8 ounces assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster and stemmed shiitake), sliced or quartered 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard Procedure: Sprinkle veal on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook veal until golden, about 20 seconds per side. Transfer to plate. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Add shallots; sauté 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tarragon. Add wine; cook over high heat until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring to scrape up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Add cream; boil until reduced by 1/4, about 1 minute. Stir in mustard. Using tongs, return veal to pan; simmer until heated through. Divide veal and sauce among 6 plates and serve. Adapted from Veal Scallops with Wild Mushroom, Mustard, and Tarragon Sauce Bon Appétit | November 2003

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