I don’t tend to be a big fan of old-school French cooking with its rich, heavy sauces, but this is one classic dish I can’t get enough of. It’s also easy to make for one person, which is handy, as I often dine alone during the week. Be warned: This is not a recipe for those on a diet.

For 1 Serving.
6 ounces veal scallopine, preferably formula or milk-fed (see note below)
1/8th cup flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup chicken stock
3.5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Step 1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Take your scallopine and put it between sheets of plastic wrap (”Saran wrap”). Pound it with the flat end of a tenderizer (or any other heavy, flat object that is at least 1.5-2 inches in diameter) until the scallopine is very thin - no more than 1/4″.

Step 2. Pepper and salt both sides of the scallopine, then drench it in flour, shaking off the excess. Don’t leave them lying in the flour.

Step 3. Heat the oil in a pan wide enough to hold all your scallops on medium-high heat. When oil is heated (do not let the oil start to smoke…it’s too hot at that point) put the scallops in the pan in a single layer and let them fry for about one minute per side. If the edges of each side are golden brown, you’ve cooked them properly. Take them out of the pan, put them on a wire rack and put them in the oven with a baking pan underneath to catch any drippings. If you don’t have a wire rack, you can just put them directly on the baking pan. You’re just keeping them warm in the oven while the sauce is made. It’s nicer to use the rack because that way both sides are exposed to air and the slight crispyness of the brown bits won’t turn soggy as quickly.

Step 4. Pour the chicken stock into the pan you used to cook the scallops. Scrape any bits of meat/flour that were stuck on the pan up so that they are stirred around in the stock. They add flavor! Simmer the stock for 5-10 minutes until it’s reduced to about half its original volume, and then add the small butter chunks, a few at a time, until they’re all melted in the stock. Add the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to your taste, then cook a little more until thickened just a bit more. Then add in the parsley and stir.

Step 5. Take the veal out of the oven and put it back in the pan for a minute to reheat, then it’s ready to be put on your plate and eaten. (If you’re especially clever, you’ll have put a plate in the oven so that it’s heated nicely and won’t immediately start cooling your food too much.)

Notes: This recipe is all about the quality of the veal and the quality of the butter. I don’t think veal is even worth eating unless it’s high-quality. It’s just one of those ingredients that can’t be done well inexpensively. Look for “formula-fed” or “milk-fed.” Stay away from “free-range” or “grass-fed” veal if you can, as all those mean is that the meat will lack the buttery tenderness of good veal.

When it comes to butter, spend a little extra and get something good. There is a real difference between butters, and while it may not matter as much what kind of butter you use to make a cake or cookies with, when butter is a major portion of a sauce, you want tasty butter. I recommend a brand called Plugra. It’s one of the more commonly available of the premium butters. Honestly though, let’s face it: Butter is yummy. Even if you don’t have premium butter, you’re going to enjoy this dish, if possibly slightly less than with a nicer butter. Oh, and use unsalted butter just generally when cooking. You can then salt as needed, rather than having to have a minimum amount of salt as defined by how much salt your butter has. Salted butter is good for spreading on toast or a muffin, but it’s not good for cooking with.

An excellent side to this dish is steamed carrots. The simplicity and lack of any sort of oil balances out the richness of the veal and its sauce.