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Quenelles lyonnaises nature
Baked quenelles in mushroom sauce
Lyon's plain baked quenelles in mushroom cream sauce (quenelles nature)
FrenchEvery charcuterie and traiteur in Lyon sells quenelles, the soft oval dumplings that the city's bouchons bake until they swell to twice their size in a bubbling dish. The famous version contains pike, but Lyonnais families also buy quenelles nature, plain ones made from a flour, milk, butter and egg panade, and bake them for a weeknight supper with a mushroom or tomato cream sauce and a green salad. Made at home they are light and wobbly, with a hint of nutmeg. Gruyère for the top is usually made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian alternative if you prefer. Chef's tip: chill the dough well and shape it with two wet spoons; cold dough holds a neat shape and puffs evenly.
- Total time
- 200 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the quenelles
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 4 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 eggsbeaten
For the mushroom sauce
- 1 oz butter
- 1 shallotfinely chopped
- 9 oz chestnut mushroomssliced
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable stockhot
- ¾ cup double cream
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 ⅜ oz Gruyère (optional)grated, or a vegetarian alternative
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Bring 1 cup whole milk, 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground nutmeg to the boil in a pan. Take off the heat, add 4 ½ oz plain flour in one go and beat until smooth, then stir over a low heat for 2 minutes until the panade comes away from the pan in a ball.
5 minStep 2: Cool for 5 minutes, then beat in 3 eggs a little at a time until the dough is smooth, shiny and firm enough to hold a spoon upright.
5 minStep 3: Press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. It should feel firm and cool all the way through.
120 minStep 4: Bring a wide pan of lightly salted water to a bare simmer, with only small bubbles rising. Dip two dessert spoons in hot water and shape the dough into 8 ovals, sliding each into the water.
Step 5: Poach for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until they float and feel springy. Lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper. Common mistake: letting the water boil hard, which splits the quenelles; it should only shiver.
10 minStep 6: For the sauce, melt 1 oz butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add 1 shallot and cook for 3 minutes, then add 9 oz chestnut mushrooms and fry for 6–8 minutes until their liquid has gone and they turn golden.
10 minStep 7: Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour for 1 minute, then whisk in 1 ¼ cups vegetable stock and simmer for 3 minutes until slightly thick. Add ¾ cup double cream and ¼ tsp black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes more. Taste for salt.
6 minStep 8: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Pour the sauce into a baking dish, set the quenelles on top with space between them and scatter over 1 ⅜ oz Gruyère.
Step 9: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the quenelles have puffed to nearly double, turned golden on top and the sauce bubbles. Serve straight away, before they sink, scattered with 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does quenelles lyonnaises nature take?
- About 200 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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