Veal Dijon

Veal seared in butter with shallots, then finished in a creamy Dijon mustard sauce sweetened with honey and deglazed with white wine. This is classic French bistro cooking scaled down to a dinner for two.

The beauty of this recipe is its flexibility with the cut. Medallions sear in about five minutes and give you an elegant, quick weeknight meal. Stew meat cubes need up to an hour of gentle simmering but reward you with fall-apart tender pieces that soak up more of that mustard cream sauce.

Deglazing the pan with white wine after searing pulls up every bit of browned fond from the bottom. That’s concentrated flavor that goes straight into the sauce. The Dijon and honey get mixed together before adding the cream, which keeps the mustard from clumping and distributes that sweet-sharp balance evenly.

Reduce the cream to your preferred thickness. A loose sauce works for spooning over rice. A thicker reduction coats the veal and clings to each piece.

Chef Tips

• Don’t crowd the pan. Sear the veal in batches if needed. Crowding steams the meat instead of browning it.
• Use a generous pour of wine when deglazing. You want to dissolve every bit of browned residue stuck to the pan bottom.
• Taste the sauce before adding salt. Dijon mustard is already salty, and 4 ounces is a substantial amount. You may need less salt than expected.
• Return the meat to the sauce gently and warm through without boiling. Boiling toughens veal quickly.

Variations

• Chicken Dijon: Swap veal for boneless chicken thighs. Same technique, same sauce, lower cost.
• Whole grain mustard version: Use half Dijon and half whole grain mustard for a rustier sauce with visible mustard seeds.