Grilled Shoulder Of Veal With Herb Butter And Potato-And-Corn Packages Yield: 14 To 16 Servings Red Berries-Soaked Cake Yield: 10 To 12 Servings

Grilled Shoulder Of Veal With Herb Butter And Potato-And-Corn Packages
Yield: 14 To 16 Servings

A large piece of grilled meat makes a fine centerpiece for a big summer party. The shoulder of veal featured here is easy to prepare, since it is not boned out. It is placed on the barbecue just as it comes from the market. The front leg or shoulder is relatively inexpensive, although it will probably have to be special ordered from a butcher. Buy veal that is white and of good quality-sometimes called "fancy" veal, "nature" veal, plume de veau, or provimi veal. The grilling is best done over a wood-ember fire, but a gas grill is fine also. The grill rack should be clean and the heat at medium, and it is preferable to use a grill with a lid. The whole grilled shoulder can be presented on a large piece of drift wood, with a sharp knife and the herb butter alongside. The guests can carve their own servings and brush the slices of meat with the herb butter.

The potatoes and corn can be cooked in the oven in a gratin dish, but, in the spirit of an outdoor party, for this recipe each portion is wrapped in aluminum foil to create packages that are easy to cook on the grill and to serve. These packages can be assembled while the meat is cooking, then placed on the barbecue to cook after the veal has been removed from the grill and is resting.

The herb butter can be made ahead and even frozen, if need be. It is also good for serving as a flavoring for steaks, stews, sauces, and fish.

VEAL
1 whole shoulder of veal without the shank (14 to 16 pounds)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Have a strong fire going on the grill that can last and withstand long cooking. Push the hot ashes to the side, so the place where you put the shoulder is not too terribly hot.

HERB BUTTER
2 cups (lightly packed) mixed herbs (1 cup parsley and 1 cup mixture of tarragon, basil, chives, and chervil)
8 ounces unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle the shoulder with the salt and pepper, and place it, top side down, on the rack of the hot grill. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, then turn it over, and cook for 30 minutes to brown it on the other side. Continue cooking over medium to low heat, turning the roast every 45 minutes or so, for a total of 2 1/2 hours. When the internal temperature of the meat is 125 to 130 degrees, remove it from the grill, and place it on a tray. Put in a 170-degree oven to rest and continue cooking in its own juices for 30 to fi60 minutes longer. 9If you can't transfer the veal to an oven, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil, and let it sit in a warm place off to the side of the barbecue to rest.)

For the herb butter: In a food processor, process the mixed herbs for about 10 seconds. Add the butter along with the lemon juice, Pepper, and salt. Process until well homogenized. Store in a small terrine or crock at room temperature. Serve with a pastry brush. If not using immediately, refrigerate, then soften to room temperature before serving with the veal roast.

Potato-and-corn packages
YIELD: 14 TO 16 PACKAGES
3 pounds potatoes, peeled, washed, and sliced thin
5 to, 6 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped (1 tablespoon)
4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
11/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large ears corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 4 cups kernels)

Place the thinly sliced potatoes 9washed after peeling but not after slicing-you want to preserve the starch for proper texture) in a large pot. Add the garlic, milk, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring well to prevent scorching. The liquid will thicken as it boils because of the starch in the potatoes.

Line one heatproof glass bowl (with about a 2-cup capacity) with a 12-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Using a scoop, fill the foil-lined bowl with about 3/4 cup of the potato mixture and Yi cup of the corn kernels. Pinch the ends of the foil together enough to seal but not too tightly, so steam can escape, and remove from the glass bowl. Continue making these foil packages until you have used up all the potatoes and corn. You should have 14 to 16 packages. While the meat is resting in the oven or off to the side of the barbecue, cook the packages on the grill over medium heat for 45 minutes.

To serve: Slice the veal, brush with the soft herb butter, and serve with the potatoand-corn packages.


Red Berries-Soaked Cake
Yield: 10 to 12 Servings
The combination of sweet, fragrant berries, dense sponge cake, fruit brandy, and good preserves makes this dessert a great summer treat. It is best prepared a day ahead, so the fruit puree has a chance to soak the cake thoroughly, but it can be served a few hours after assembly. Pound cake (see Home Cake, page 413) can be substituted for the sponge cake, and other berries can be used, depending on availability. The dessert will keep for 5 or 6 days in the refrigerator.

SPONGE CAKE
1 teaspoon softened unsalted butter for coating pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces), plus extra flour for pan
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 large eggs. separated
1/2 cup safflower or corn oil
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

RED FRUIT PUREE
8 cups summer berries, a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries. and red currants
2 cups seedless blackberry or raspberry preserves
1/3 cup fruit brandy, such as framboise, kirschwasser, or pear brandy

CUSTARD SAUCE WITH GELATIN
2 egg yolks from large eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

GARNISH
Mint sprigs

To prepare the sponge cake; Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour a round cake pan approximately 9 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep. Toss the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks, oil, milk, and vanilla, and mix well. Using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiffbut not dry, and fold them into the yolk mixture with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place the pan on a cookie sheet, and bake for about 70 minutes. Let the cake coolon a rack for 30 minutes at room temperature. It will shrink from the edge of the pan and can then be unmolded.

For the red fruit puree; Puree fruits and preserves in a food processor. Strain through a sieve. You should have 4 to 5 cups of puree, half for inside the cake and half to be serv'ed with it.

Trim the brown crust from the top, bottom, and sides of the cake. Use a 3-quart glass or stainless-steel bowl with a round bottom for the cake. To aid in the unmolding later, cut two strips of parchment paper, butter them on one side, and place them in a crisscross pattern, buttered side down, in the mold, so they stick to it and extend beyond the rim of the bowl. To help remove the cake from the mold, you will pull the projecting ends.

Cut the cake crosswise into 3/8-to-1/2-inch layers or round slices. Put the first slice in the bottom of the mold, and press on it to make it conform well to the mold. Do not worry if the cake breaks here and there; by the time it is soaked with the fruit, these breaks will not be visible. Reserving enough slices of cake to use as a lid on the filled cake, cut the other pieces of cake into strips, and fit them around the interior of the bowl, so the entire inside of the bowl is lined with the cake. Set aside the cake trimmings. (The four ends of the parchment-paper strips should be visible above the edge of the bowl.)

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the brandy over the cake in the bowl, and pour in about 1 cup of the fruit puree. Add some of the reserved cake trimmings, sprinkling them over the puree. Add more fruit puree and more trimmings, until the inside of the bowl is filled. (You should have 2 to 2 1/2 cups of sauce remaining for serving over the cake when un molded.) Cut the reserved slices of cake to make a lid that fits inside the cake pieces lining the sides of the bowl, and press it into place, enclosing the filling. Sprinkle the cake with about 2 tablespoons of the fruit brandy, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

To make the custard sauce; Put the egg yolks in a bowl, and mix well with a whisk. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan. When it boils, add it in one stroke to the egg yolks, mixing it in with the whisk. The boiling milk will cook the egg yolks. Add the sugar, gelatin, and vanilla, and mix gently.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh strainer set over a cold bowl. (The strainer will pick up any scrambling that may have occurred.) Refrigerate the custard, stirring it occasionally, until barely lukewarm. Beat the cream until it holds a soft peak but is not too firm, then fold it into the custard. Cover the custard sauce with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least an hour. Add the remaining brandy to the reserved fruit puree.

Pulling gently on the ends of the parchment paper strips, unmold the cake onto a serving dish with sides high enough to contain the sauces. Spoon some of the custard sauce around the cake, and pour some of the fruit sauce over the cake. The red sauce will run down the sides of the cake and begin to mix with the white sauce. With the point of a knife, draw the red sauce into the white sauce, and vice versa, to create a design.

To serve; Decorate the top of the cake with a few sprigs of mint, and bring to the table. Cut the cake into wedges for serving. Pass extra custard and red fruit sauce to spoon over the cake wedges.