In the classic version of the dish the meat is simmered in a white stock and served in a sauce velouté enriched with cream and egg.

[2][n 1] Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child in their Mastering the Art of French Cooking describe blanquette de veau, as "a much-loved stew in France … veal simmered in a lightly seasoned white stock … served in a sauce velouté made from the veal cooking stock and enriched with cream and egg yolks".

[3] In 2007 Anne Willan wrote that French television had recently conducted a poll of favourite meat dishes in which "Blanquette de veau was in the top five, with steak frites and gigot d'agneau [leg of lamb]".

[7] Other cooks and food writers have differed in their recommended cuts for the dish: In older recipes the veal was roast and allowed to go cold before being sliced or chopped, covered in a white sauce and reheated.

[23] Eliza Acton's 1858 recipe includes mushrooms gently sautéed in butter and served over the veal with Sauce Tournée (also called velouté).