Le Québécois Grain-fed Veal hosted a veal recipe contest and received 135 professional veal recipes from chefs and culinary students.

Chef David Fritsche of the Jumeirah Essex House in New York City won the contest with his recipe for Herb Roasted Loin of Veal, Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal, Creamy Salsify, Pan Seared Sweet Bread and Parsnip Chips (recipe below). Le Québécois awarded Chef Fritsche with a trip for two to Montreal and $1000 in cash.

Contest finalists included:

Every recipe entered in the contest is now a part of the Le Québécois professional veal recipe collection, along with general application ideas and information about each cut. Le Québécois Grain-fed Veal is the future of veal. Chefs are switching to grain-fed veal because of its competitive price point, it has the attributes that progressive chefs and patrons seek and, in taste-test after taste-test, it wins on flavor, tenderness and texture.


Herb-Roasted Loin of Veal, Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal, Creamy Salsify with Pan-Seared Sweetbreads and Parsnip Chips
David Fritsche, senior sous chef, Jumeirah Essex House, New York City
Photo credit: Ryan Clark
Recipe and photo courtesy of Le Quebecois Grain-fed Veal

Yield: 4 servings

1 32-oz. veal loin, cut into 8-oz. portions
Salt and pepper, as needed
Olive oil, as needed
2 T. fresh butter
1 T. parsley, finely chopped
1 T. chive, finely chopped
1/2 T. thyme, finely chopped
Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal (recipe follows)
Creamy Salsify with Pan-Seared Sweetbreads (recipe follows)
Fleur de sel, as needed
Parsnip Chips (recipe follows)

Method (1) Season the veal medallions, and pan-fry the in olive oil till you liking. Finish them with fresh butter, then remove from pan, and roll it in the herbs. (2) Place the herb-roasted veal medallion on top of the Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal. Arrange on the plate the Creamy Salsify with Pan-Seared Sweetbreads on top, and sprinkle it with some fleur de sel. Garnish with Parsnip Chips and reserved reduced braising liquid (from the Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal).

Layered Confit Potatoes with Braised Veal
2 veal osso bucco
1/2 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1 small Spanish onion, chopped
1/2 green garden leek, chopped
1 t. tomato paste
1 c. red wine
1 qt. brown veal stock
1 thyme spring
1 lb. clarified butter
1/2 clove garlic
2 thyme springs
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. chicken stock
Salt and pepper, as needed
4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds

Method (1) Pan-seared the osso bucco. Add the mire poix, and roast with the osso bucco until light brown. Add the tomato paste, and let it caramelize. Deglaze with the red wine, and reduce by half. Add the brown veal stock and thyme, and bring to a boil. (2) Cover the pan, and braised in a 350°F oven till nice and tender. Cool down in the braising liquid so all the flavor stays in the meat and does not dry out. (3) Once cool, remove the osso bucco from the liquid. Remove fat and bone, and flake the meat into small pieces. Add 2 t. of the braising liquid back to the meat. Strain the remaining braising liquid through a fine strainer, and reduce; reserve sauce. (4) Heat up butter with garlic, thyme springs, bay leaf, chicken stock, salt and pepper to 212°F. (5) Simmer the sliced potatoes in the butter stock really gently until they are cooked to 3/4 of the way. Remove, and sear in hot pan for some color. (6) Then layer 3 slices of potatoes and braised veal on top of each other. Reheat in a 350°F oven.

Creamy Salsify with Pan-Seared Sweetbreads
1 lb. fresh salsify
1 oz. flour
1 qt. vegetable stock
1 lemon, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 thyme spring
Salt, as needed
Fresh butter, as needed
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
1 t. whipping cream
Sweetbreads, cooked and sliced
Flour, as needed

Method (1) Peel fresh salsify, and hold in lemon water until ready to use to prevent discoloration. (2) Mix the flour with vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Add the lemon, bay leaf, thyme, salt and salsify. Cook the salsify till tender. Strain, but keep some liquid. (3) Finish salsify with some fresh butter, parsley and whipping cream. (4) Season sweetbreads, and turn them in flour. Pan-sear until golden brown.

Parsnip Chips
1 large parsnip, peeled and sliced fine
1 c. milk
Fleur de sel, as needed
Truffle oil, as needed

Method (1) Soak parsnip slices in milk for about an hour. (2) Dry, and deep-fry them in 325°F oil. Finish with Fleur de sel and a little Truffle oil.
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Eight chefs from across Iowa faced off in the kitchen of Johnny's Italian Steakhouse in West Des Moines Nov. 9, in an annual culinary competition hosted by the Iowa Restaurant Association (IRA) and sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and The Soyfoods Council. The challenge before each chef was to prepare and present a unique culinary creation encompassing Tri-Tip beef and a soy side dish. This one-of-a-kind competition is held annually in conjunction with Celebrating Excellence, the IRA's Annual Awards Gala. Chef Haley Silhacek, from Ferrari's Ristorante, Cedar Falls, took top honors in the competition with her presentation of "pancetta, tofu and fresh dill stuffed beef Tri-Tip with a blood-orange miso sauce, accompanied by an edamame and tofu orzo with roasted baby pumpkin and roasted asparagus." Silhacek received a $1,000 cash prize.

Chef Ephraim Malag of Tournament Club of Iowa, Polk City, placed second with his "Beef Sarang – beef marinated in soy ginger and saki grilled served with mango edamame relish and breaded tofu." Malag received a $500 cash prize.

Third place winner and the People's Choice winner was Troy Trostel of Trostel's Greenbriar Restaurant & Bar, Johnston. His "cumin soy nut-encrusted Majinola Iowa Beef Tri-Tip with Thai ginger black rice, Sunrise Farms citrus micro green edamame salad with smoked tofu crouton and wasabi soy foam" was the crowd favorite. For his two honors, Trostel received $500 in cash prizes.
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