To Stew A Breast Of Veal The White Way
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of Elizabeth Langley
Written by Elizabeth Langley
To Stew A Breast Of Veal The White Way
"Lay your Veal in milk and water for 2 or 3 hours Then put it in a stew pan with as much water as you think necess= =ary to make the sauce. & let it stew gently over the fire, put in one Onion stuck with cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, & boil it a little. Then strain the gravy when the Veal is tender enough, strain it in a little cream & some oysters Then add a little mace & nutmug, and two sweet breads cut in pieces. Then put as much cream as will make the sauce very white. The Yolks of two eggs & some butterr rolled in Flour keep it constantly, stirring till it is as thick, as a Fricasse sauce. Then pour it over the Veal & lay on your dish some oysters, dip'd in egg, & fry'd you must take out the long bones before you send it to table."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in a direct, narrative style common in the 18th century, providing a sequence of actions for the cook rather than prescriptive quantities or times. Spelling varies—'nutmug' for nutmeg, 'Fricasse' for fricassée—and punctuation is minimal, reflecting the period's conventions. Also notable is the lack of explicit measurements, reliance on intuition ('as much water as you think necessary'), and culinary shorthand familiar to trained cooks but not to modern home cooks. The term 'the white way' refers to a style of cookery emphasizing pale ingredients and a creamy appearance, as opposed to those using brown stock or roasting.
Title
Cookbook of Elizabeth Langley (1757)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Elizabeth Langley
Era
1757
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step into the Georgian kitchen with Elizabeth Langley's 1757 culinary collection, where refined techniques and delightful recipes await those with a taste for historic gastronomy.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe comes from the mid-18th century and is attributed to Elizabeth Langley, who was active around 1757. The period was known for its opulent cooking, influenced by French haute cuisine, but also marked by a British penchant for creamy, delicate white sauces and the use of luxury ingredients like oysters and sweetbreads. Veal was a favored meat among the upper classes, prized for its tenderness. The elaborate preparation—soaking, stewing, sieving, and garnishing—reflects the status and time resources of affluent households. The recipe also showcases the growing 18th-century interest in refined sauces and the display of culinary technique.
Back in the day, this recipe would have been made using heavy copper or tin-lined stew pans, open hearths for heat, and coarse mesh sieves or cloths for straining the sauce and broth. Wooden spoons and ladles were used for stirring. Knives and small cleavers were essential for removing bones and cutting sweetbreads. Frying was done in shallow pans over embers or directly over fire. Stone or earthenware bowls were likely used for soaking and beating eggs, while cooks would rely on their senses for temperature and consistency rather than precise timings or measurements.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Servings
6
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 2.6 lb veal breast
- 4 1/4 cups (1 quart + 2 tablespoons) whole milk
- 4 1/4 cups (1 quart + 2 tablespoons) water (for soaking)
- 3 1/4 cups water (for stewing)
- 1 medium onion
- 5-6 whole cloves
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2/3–1 1/4 cups double cream
- 3 1/2 oz (about 1/2 cup) fresh or jarred oysters (plus extra for frying garnish)
- 1/2 tsp ground mace
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 2 veal sweetbreads (approx. 7 oz total; substitute with chicken if unavailable)
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 egg (for dipping oysters)
- 1/2 cup plain flour or breadcrumbs (for dredging)
- 2 tbsp butter or oil (for frying oysters)
- Salt and white pepper (to taste; original recipe omits but add to modern palate)
Instructions
- To make this dish in a modern kitchen, start by soaking about 2.6 lb of veal breast in a mixture of whole milk and water (enough to cover) for 2-3 hours.
- Drain the veal and transfer it to a large saucepan.
- Add enough water (about 3 1/4 cups) to just cover the meat, and add one peeled onion studded with 5-6 whole cloves, along with a bunch of fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Bring it to a gentle simmer and cook until the veal is tender (about 1.5 hours).
- When ready, strain the cooking liquid into a clean saucepan.
- Remove bones from the veal and lay the meat in a clean serving dish.
- To the strained broth, add 2/3 cup double cream, 3 1/2 oz rinsed and chopped oysters (jarred oysters may substitute if fresh are unavailable), 1/2 teaspoon ground mace, and 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
- Add two cooked veal sweetbreads (about 7 oz), cut in bite-sized pieces.
- Stir in more cream until the sauce is thick and very pale—aim for a total of about 1 1/4 cups cream.
- In a separate bowl, beat two egg yolks and blend with 3 tablespoons softened butter kneaded with 1 tablespoon plain flour.
- Stir this into the hot sauce, whisking constantly, until thickened to a fricassée consistency.
- For garnish, dip a handful of reserved oysters in beaten egg, bread them lightly, and fry in butter until golden.
- Pour the creamy sauce over the veal, top with fried oysters, and serve immediately.
Estimated Calories
600 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and workspace, including soaking the veal for a few hours. The dish needs to simmer for around 1.5 hours until the veal is tender, and finishing the sauce and fried oysters takes another 20-30 minutes. Each serving contains around 600 calories, and this recipe makes 6 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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