Why is the dish called "veal cooked like ptarmigan"?

The shoulder of veal is larded with pork, browned, and slowly braised in milk and water with a cream sauce – the same treatment as game birds such as ptarmigan. The meat thus takes on a richer, game-like character, though it is pure veal in the pan.

How long does the preparation take?

The meat braises for about 1½ hours after browning, and the sauce simmers with the cream for a further ¼ hour – around 2 hours and 15 minutes in all.

Do I have to use fattened veal?

No. Schønberg Erken writes explicitly: "Just don't go thinking that fattened veal is necessary; the young calf does the job well!"

How is the sauce made?

The braising stock is reduced, or you make an ordinary flour thickening. Then 1 deciliter of cream is added, and the sauce simmers for a quarter of an hour before serving.

Veal cooked like ptarmigan

Erken's "Veal cooked like ptarmigan" (1914): boneless shoulder of veal in one piece is larded with pork, tied, rolled in seasoned flour, browned in butter, and braised tender in milk and water for 1½ hours. The sauce is reduced or thickened and simmered with cream for 15 minutes.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 214 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

"Veal cooked like ptarmigan" is one of Erken's peasant-fare transformations: inexpensive shoulder of veal is larded and braised so that it imitates roast ptarmigan with cream sauce. The author adds a comforting note that young veal serves just as well as fattened veal.

How to make it

1
Prepare the meat
Cut the veal off the bone in one whole piece. Lard it with strips of pork and tie it together with string.
2
Brown
Coat the meat in flour mixed with a little salt and pepper and brown it nicely in the butter.
3
Braise until tender
Gradually thin with the milk and the boiling water. Let the meat braise gently, covered, for about 1½ hours.
4
Sauce
Reduce the stock into a sauce, or make an ordinary thickening. Add the cream and let it simmer for a further ¼ hour. Season with salt and pepper.
5
Serve
Carve the meat and serve with the sauce. Fattened veal is not necessary – young veal does very well here.

Changes from the original

Measurements converted (1 deciliter = 1 dl, ¾ liter water, ¼ liter milk). Larding is specified with pork strips; butter retained. Cooking times are kept from the original.

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From1914 1949 Modernised

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Frequently asked questions

Why is the dish called "veal cooked like ptarmigan"?: The shoulder of veal is larded with pork, browned, and slowly braised in milk and water with a cream sauce – the same treatment as game birds such as ptarmigan. The meat thus takes on a richer, game-like character, though it is pure veal in the pan.
How long does the preparation take?: The meat braises for about 1½ hours after browning, and the sauce simmers with the cream for a further ¼ hour – around 2 hours and 15 minutes in all.
Do I have to use fattened veal?: No. Schønberg Erken writes explicitly: "Just don't go thinking that fattened veal is necessary; the young calf does the job well!"
How is the sauce made?: The braising stock is reduced, or you make an ordinary flour thickening. Then 1 deciliter of cream is added, and the sauce simmers for a quarter of an hour before serving.

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