Fricassee

Fricassee or fricassée /ˈfrɪkəsiː/[1] is a stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter then served in a sauce flavored with the cooking stock.

[2] Fricassee is usually made with chicken, veal or rabbit, with variations limited only by what ingredients the cook has at hand.

[4] By the general description of frying and then braising in liquid, there are recipes for fricassee as far back as the earliest version of the medieval French cookbook Le Viandier, circa 1300.

Broth made with chicken necks or feet or used to boil meats, or similar is simmered with herbs and lemon peel, then thickened with cream (or egg yolk), flour, and butter to make into a sauce.

In a fricassee, cut-up meat is first sauteed (but not browned), then liquid is added, and it is simmered to finish cooking.

[10] In the early 19th-century cookery book A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell, a fricassee of cold roast beef is made with very thinly sliced beef cooked in butter and broth with parsley and onion, the sauce thickened with egg yolks, wine, and vinegar.

Fricassee of cold roast beef was among the recipes published in the popular women's magazine Godey's Lady Book during the American Civil War.

[14] A 1734 American recipe by Mrs. John Burroughs calls for birds seasoned with nutmeg, parsley, onion, and mace, dredged in flour and browned in butter, then stewed in the pan with gravy, egg yolks, wine, and nutmeg to make a sauce with the consistency of thickened cream.