The recipe for cooking meat in French is one of the most popular recipes, oddly enough, of Russian cuisine. The original name of the dish Veau Orloff (French), it was first cooked in Paris for Count Orlov, a famous statesman and favorite of the Russian Empress Catherine II. In the classic version, "Veal according to Orlovski" is a pancake of meat (veal or young beef), potatoes, mushrooms and onions with Béchamel sauce with the addition of crushed cheese.
Nowadays
At present, the simplified version, called "meat in French", is popular and somewhat simplistic. In the list of ingredients, mushrooms are not always present, and meat is most often used with beef or pork, sometimes even in the form of minced meat. Often the sauce "Béchamel" is replaced with cream or sour cream, and even completely cooked without sauce. Of course, the order of laying the layers, the shape and size of the cutting of products, as well as the degree of preliminary roasting are very variable. Sometimes the recipe is complicated by adding to the list of ingredients carrots, tomatoes and even pineapple. You can cook meat in French in foil, which is quite convenient.
About mayonnaise
Fans of mayonnaise, who are almost unable to give up their favorite product and spice it with almost all the dishes, still need to understand that the meat in French is prepared without mayonnaise! "Mayonnaise" sauce was invented during military operations in the conditions of a very limited choice of possible ingredients from the products that were available in the baggage. Probably, the Paris cook, who cooked for Count Orlov, did not lack food. In addition, when baked, mayonnaise turns into a very unappetizing and completely unhealthy flakes.
Chicken in French
It should also be noted that the dish called "meat in French from chicken fillet" is actually called simply "chicken fillet in French" and to the original recipe has nothing to do with either origin or content. In some ways, only the methods of preparation are similar.
Meat in French: how to cook?
So, we cook meat in French with champignons.
Ingredients:
- grams of 600 veal or young beef;
- gram 600 potatoes;
- gram 300 mushrooms;
- 200 grams of hard cheese;
- 2 onions;
- gram of 80-100 natural butter for frying;
- a glass of Béchamel sauce (natural cream or milk + toasty with dry wheat flour + butter);
- parsley greens;
- ground black pepper;
- salt.
Preparation:
We'll peel the onion and cut it into thin half rings. We'll rinse, dry and mushrooms, finely, but not too much. Fry the onion in butter until a beautiful golden hue. Separately lightly fry the mushrooms. Meat cut into thin layers across the fibers and lightly beaten with a hammer. Potatoes shall be cut into thin slices or straws. Lubricate the deep form with oil. Lay out layers, for example, like this: first a thin layer of potatoes, then meat, then onions, then champignons, then again potatoes. All evenly pour the sauce "Béchamel" and send the casserole to the oven heated to 180-200ºС.
About subtleties
How much meat does it prepare in French? First we hold the casserole in the oven for 30-40 minutes (depends on the youth of the meat). During this time we will prepare grated cheese. We take the form out of the oven, sprinkle it with plenty of cheese and again send the form to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. The temperature is lowered. You should get delicious meat in French. We decorate with parsley and serve this wonderful dish to the table directly in the form with a light table (ideally French) wine. If instead of beef pork meat was used, it is better to serve a light wine. We cut into portions and put them on plates using a spatula, trying not to break the integrity of the layers.