The name Rostang has been part of the French gastronomic scene for six generations, and Michel, born in Grenoble, represents the 5th generation. He opened his own restaurant in 1978, and after two short years, had already been awarded his first two Michelin stars. He likes to reinvent bourgeois-classic cuisine in his dishes, but also loves genuine bistro cooking. Michel currently owns seven restaurants: six in Paris and one in Dubai; which serve signature dishes that have been on the menu for some thirty years. Their status provide a sense of calm in tumultuous times, with examples like veal sweetbreads with crayfish, rib of veal, veal rump and veal shank. “The flavour of veal shanks is unsurpassable, and it is one of my favourites. The same goes for the head and tongue, which I like to prepare à la Lyonnais. Veal is much more versatile than beef, and everyone loves it.” Michel enjoys combining veal with products that match this meat’s venerable status and enhance its flavour such as foie gras, crayfish or truffle.
Remove the veins from the duck liver and season to taste with salt, pepper, cognac and port. Press the liver into a mould (5x5x6cm) and cook sous vide in warm water at 70°C/160°F until it reaches a core temperature of 45°C/115°F. Allow to stiffen in the fridge and cut into thin slices. Cook the veal tongue in fond blanc with the vegetables (chopped) and the bouquet garni until done. Leave to cool in its liquid, peel the tongue and cut into thin slices using a meat slicer. Strain off and reduce the liquid considerably. Build thin layers of the duck liver and tongue in a rectangular mould, vacuum pack, and allow to set in the fridge for 4 hours. Remove the terrine from the vacuum pack and pour the reduced bouillon over the top. Allow to set again, and cut into small triangles. For the porridge, boil the buckwheat in salted water until soft. Pour a thin layer onto a metal baking sheet and allow to solidify. Chop into pieces. Hard-boil an egg and chop the yolk and egg white separately. Mix it with the chopped buckwheat, the capers and finely-chopped parsley. Then season to taste with sherry vinegar and olive oil. Place two triangles of the terrine on a plate and garnish with toasted breadcrumbs and flat-leaved parsley. Spoon the buckwheat porridge around it.
Serves 4
700g veal tongue, 150ml fond blanc, 50g carrot, 50g onion, 50g leek, 25g celery, 1 bouquet garni, toasted breadcrumbs, flat-leaved parsley.
For the duck liver
250g duck liver, 10ml cognac, 20ml red port.
For the buckwheat porridge
1 egg, 50g buckwheat flour, 20g capers, 1/4 bunch chives30ml olive oil, 10ml sherry-vinegar.
Poach the veal shanks in water for about 1 hour, drain well and brown all over in butter, olive and sunflower oil. Add the chopped vegetables and deglaze with the white wine. Add the veal jus, cover with aluminium foil and slow-cook in the oven. Take out of the oven, strain off the liquid for later and put the shanks to one side. For the glaze, reduce the orange juice with the honey. Add the rest of the ingredients, the liquid from the meat and reduce to the desired thickness. Before serving, rub the shanks with the spicy mixture and heat in the oven, basting regularly. Cut the meat off the bone at the table. For the garnish, cook the purple carrots in salted water. Mix in a blender with 40 g of butter until smooth and season to taste. Peel the baby carrots, slice in very thin ribbons and place in iced water. Cut the peeled potatoes into little rectangular blocks and cook in the fond blanc with 40 g of butter. Brunoise the rest of the vegetables, blanch separately, and glaze in a knob of butter. Place a slice of potato on the plate, top with the root vegetables and garnish with dots of the purple carrot puree. Decorate with the ribbons of carrot and serve with the veal shank.
Serves 4
2kg veal shanks, 100g onion, 100g carrot, 50g leek, 3g garlic, 50ml olive oil, 50ml sunflower oil, 60g butter, 250ml white wine, 2l veal jus.
For the spices
1g powdered orange, 1g powdered lemon, 1g curry powder, 1g piment d’Espelette, 5g fleur de sel, 1g cumin, 8 saffron threads, 1g garlic powder, 7g fresh ginger, 1g turmeric, 2g five spice powder, 50g floral honey, 500g fresh orange juice.
For the root vegetables
500g purple carrots, 1/2 bunch carrots, 500g potatoes, 70g Jerusalem artichoke, 70g parsnip, 70g chervil root, 40g yellow carrot, 40g shallot, 120g butter, 500ml fond blanc (veal), butter.
