Roasted Veal Shoulder with Peach or Cherry Sauce
Slowly roasted veal is succulent and juicy. This particular recipe uses the bone-in veal shoulder for extra flavor, and if
you wish, the extra bonus of veal marrow. The peach sauce is delicious most of the year, and the cherry sauce
is particularly good for a Passover seder menu. I've adapted this recipe from one for pork shoulder, as demonstrated on "America's
Test Kitchen."
Veal Roast
- 6-8 pounds, bone-in veal shoulder, top quality
- 2 T. kosher salt
- 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
Peach Sauce
- 10 ounces fronzen peaches, cut into 1-inch chunks (2 cups), or 2 fresh peaches, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T. unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 T. whole-grain mustard
Cherry Sauce
- 10 ounces fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries
- 2 cups red wine
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar or more to taste if cherries are very sour
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T. red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup port wine
With a sharp knife, cut slits 1-inch apart in a crosshatch pattern in the fat part of the roast, but don't cut
into the meat. Combine the salt and brown sugar, and rub this mixture over the entire roast and into the slits. Wrap
the roast tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap, put into a bowl or roasting pan, and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position, and preheat to 325 °F. Unwrap the roast, brush off any excess salt,
season with pepper. Place the roast on a nonstick-cooking-spray-coated rack in a large roasting pan. Add 1 quart of water
to the bottom of the pan. Roast, basting twice, on the lowest rack, until the internal temperature of the meat is 190 °F., about 5-6 hours.
Transfer the roast to a carving board, tent with foil, and let it rest for up to an hour. Transfer the liquid left in
the roasting pan to a fat separator, and let it stand for 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the defatted juices.
For the sauce (either peach or cherry): bring the fruit, wine(s), sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, defatted juices to a simmer in a small
saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups (about 30-40 minutes). Stir in
remaining vinegar, and for the peach sauce, the thyme and mustard. Cover and keep warm.
Using a boning knife, cut around the bone and pull it free from the roast. Using a serrated knife, slice the roast. Serve with
the sauce passed separately.