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A: Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of VOV 24/7’s“Food delight”. We are …. and …. We’re very happy to be here to share our recipes with you.

B: Hello, A. Hello, you guys. 
A: Hey, B. What are you thinking about? 
B: Uhm, just thinking about my romantic valentine last night. It was amazing, dear. I wish that every day could be like that.  
A: You make me curious. Tell me about your valentine, B.   
B: Well, it was undoubtedly one of the most romantic Valentine’s Days I’ve ever experienced. My hubby and I dined at a cozy restaurant with a balcony overlooking Hanoi’s West Lake. We were watching an unbelievable sunset while sipping special cocktails from crystal glasses and eating lots of chocolate and heart shaped cakes. 
A: Wow.          -B: What about you? How was your Valentine's Day?
A: Me? Well, I think a Valentine’s date doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. Actually, I spent the whole night at home with my wife. We sweetened up Valentine’s night by enjoying a meal by candlelight on a blanket in the living room. It was so relaxing after a long work day. And you know what?  I cooked “Blanquette de veau”, a classic French dish that’s pleasing to the eyes and stomachs. 

“Blanquette de veau” is a classic French dish that’s pleasing to the eyes and stomachs (Source: Pinterest)

B: That’s great, honey. It seems that “Love comes from the stomach” was your motto this Valentine’s Day. But I remember that yesterday you left the station quite late. How did you have time to cook such a super meal?

A: Well, We all know that French cuisine is so elegant that it takes a lot of time and preparation. But this dish, you can make in a slow cooker in the morning, and when you come home after a long work day, a fantastic dish is ready to be served. And I have some good news for you. Mr. Geoffrey Claude, service and kitchen manager of a French restaurant, is going to teach us how to cook this dish in the French style. 
B: That’s great. Let’s get started. “The dish is made using the base of the “ville”, which is a beef from 18 months, so it’s very young and the meat is still tender. For 4 people, you take 200gr of the beef shoulder and cut it into small cubes. Then, you take an onion, two carrots, and just chop it into small pieces. Add some butter, and salt, but no pepper for this one. Then you add some chicken stock and cook them together. And now you wait for 2 hours, it is long time cooking; therefore, you can prepare it in the morning then eat it in the evening.” 
A: “Blanquette de veau” consists of small cubes of veal cooked for hours in a broth with onions and carrots. The only thing you need to remember is that the dish must be cooked on a low temperature for a long time or the veal will be tough. 
B: Yep. Slow cooking makes the dish smoother and more digestible. When slow simmered, any meat you use will turn out tender enough to melt in your mouth.  
A: But that’s not all. Let’s hear Geoffrey elaborate on the cooking steps: “So you keep boiling and boiling. Two hours after, you take back the meat from the stock. On the other pan, you take a little bit butter and flour, not many flours, and mix the flour and butter together. And then you pour all the left stock onto the flour and butter mixture. After that, you put back your meat to that pan, you mix all ingredients together again, and finally, add a little bit of cream. French use a lot of butter and cream. But they mix very light.” 

A: French food involves a lot of cream and butter in both savory and sweet recipes, but the flavors are always well-balanced and sophisticated, which I like very much. 
B: Right. For example, this dish’s creaminess creates a comforting quality that makes it equally suited to a family lunch or a dinner party. “Blanquette de veau” invariably ranks in the top ten when the French are asked to name their favorite dishes. If you’ve never tried it, I can assure you’re going to like it.   
A: “Blanquette de veau” is a great choice for someone like me who’s super busy but still wants to cook something elegant for a special occasion. 
B: Yep. Stay tuned, guys, because Geoffrey has more tips and suggestions for you to level up this dish. “For example, onion, we cook it first because the onion needs to cook slowly before, then the carrot and the meat, we need to put it after. So the taste of these ingredients will go inside the meat and make it tastier and tender. This is a familiar dish for French people. We often cook it for the whole family. It is also the main dish. You can prepare it in the morning and eat at lunch or dinner. For the wine, the white wine is good, but the taste, it’s more like better with the fish. With the beef, we need something stronger with more tannins. For this blanquette, I suggest red wine from Rhone Valley in North of France.”
A: What could be better than enjoying a delicious French dish by candlelight with a glass of red wine in one hand and the hand of the one you love in the another. A brilliant dish for any day, not just Valentine’s Day. 
 B: And so, dear listeners,  What are you waiting for? Head to the kitchen and prepare to surprise your loved one with this special dish. And now, good bye. Catch us next week on VOV24/7’s Food Delight.