New Orleans Menu Daily Five-Star Edition

Veal T-Bone Steaks "Oktoberfest"

A few years ago, I read an article about a gourmet restaurant in Germany somewhere that made a dish of veal tenderloins with cream, mushrooms, and Riesling. That sounded good to me, and the next time I saw veal tenderloins in the store, I tried to improvise a recipe. We loved it. Problem: I haven't seen veal tenderloins out there since. (I haven't looked all that hard.) However, veal T-bones are usually available, and at attractive prices, too. So I did the dish again with those, liked it even better, and here it is.

This thing takes about an hour and a half to prepare, but most of that is spent simmering, without needing much attention.

4 veal T-bone steaks, 5-8 oz. each
4 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, cut up
Stems of 1 bunch parsley
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns

8 oz. fresh mushrooms (interesting varieties preferred--shiitakes, portobellos, etc.)
2 leeks, bulb and two inches above it only, sliced and well rinsed
1 1/4 cup German Riesling (or other white wine, preferably just a little sweet)
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. chervil
1 medium dill pickle, rinsed and sliced into matchstick-size pieces
Salt
Pepper
2 cups cooked long-grain rice

1. Season the veal T-bones with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tbs. of the butter in a wide, heavy skillet until it bubbles. Brown the T-bones on both sides. (You don't want to cook them all the way through at this point.)

2. Remove the veal T-bones from the skillet. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the skillet, along with the onion, parsley stems, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Whisk the pan contents to dissolve the browned bits sticking to the pan. Simmer uncovered for about a half-hour.

3. Cut the bones out of the T-bones and add them to the pan. Slice the veal about three-quarters of an inch thick and an inch or two long. Place the veal on a plate, cover, and keep warm.

4. After the stock in the pan has simmered a half-hour, remove the bones and strain the stock into a bowl. Rinse the pan.

5. Over medium heat, add the remaining butter and bring to a bubble. Add the mushrooms and leeks, and cook for about five minutes, or until the leeks are soft.

6. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Hold it there for about two minutes, then add up to a cup of the strained stock, the cream, mustard, tarragon, and chervil. Whisk the pan contents to blend thoroughly. Add the sliced veal along with all the juices that have collected in the plate. Lower the heat to the lowest possible setting, and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.

7. Remove the veal and raise the heat until you get a light boil. Cook another five minutes, whisking frequently, to thicken the sauce. Add the sliced dill pickle to the sauce and heat through. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.Return the veal to the sauce to coat.

Serve the veal on warm plates with plenty of the sauce and cooked long-grain rice alongside.

Serves four to six.