Escalopes

Escalopes (also spelled as escallopes) are pieces of boneless meat which have been thinned out using a mallet, rolling pin or beaten with the handle of a knife, or alternative, combined with, or merely 'butterflied'. The mallet breaks down the fibers in the meat, making it more tender, while the thinner meat cooks faster with less moisture loss, producing a dish that that cooks faster and is moister and more tender.

Common sizes

The typical sizes of an escalope used in the food industry range from 113 - 227 grams (4oz - 8oz).

Other names

The cut is known as paillard or scallop in the USA, not to be confused with the shellfish scallop.

Origin

The term escalope originates from France. It first appeared in cookery terminology late in the 17th century as a dialectal expression in the northeast of rural France meaning shell from a nut or snail: veau à l'escalope (veal cooked in the style of an escalope). In those days an escalope was doubtlessly always veal.

Most famous recipe

The most famous recipe using veal escalope is "Veal Cordon Bleu", and its various look-alikes such as the Italian "Saltimbocca", where the same cut of veal is known as scaloppine. The dish is basically a veal sandwich with the escalope serving as the "bread" and the filling being ham and cheese. This is then floured, dipped in beaten egg yolk or milk, then in bread or cracker crumbs, and cooked in a pan with butter or, sometimes, oil. In the case of Saltimbocca only one slice of veal is used and the resulting "open-face sandwich" is rolled before being enrobed and cooked.

See also

• Paillard
• Wiener Schnitzel
• Scaloppine
• Saltimbocca