Cooking demo: Stuffed veal ... on a hotplate

As a master chef of France, Olivier Desaintmartin does nothing simply.

Asked to host a cooking demo, he didn't go the easy route with gazpacho or guacamole.

Dude whipped up Veal Breast Roast Lyonnaise on a pair of hotplates and in a portable convection oven at the Comcast Center, and served portions to the crowd.

Desaintmartin was the first of four chefs enlisted for the Center City District's series of lunchtime cooking demos to plug Center City District Restaurant Week, which will run Jan. 22-27 and Jan. 29-Feb. 3. Info on Restaurant Week is here.

The series continues Thursday, Jan. 12 with Nick Cassidy of El Vez (yes, guacamole).

Next week's chefs will be Robert Tyndall of the Farmers' Cabinet (Jan. 17) and Erin O'Shea of Percy Street Barbecue (Jan. 19)

Here's Desaintmartin's recipe for eight portions:

Veal Breast Roast Lyonnaise

3 pounds veal breast, boneless

1 pound sausage meat (veal, pork and beef)

2 eggs

½ pound shiitake mushrooms, quartered (stems off)

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

3 shallots, chopped finely

2 sprig thyme (use only the leaves)

1 cup dry red wine

2 pounds Swiss chard, cleaned and shredded

¼ cup cream

1 small onion, chopped finely

¼ pound butter

2 tomatoes, diced finely

1½ cups white wine

salt, pepper, oil, all spices

Directions:

• Butterfly-open the veal breast and remove (if there are) large amounts of fat. Season with salt and pepper

• Prepare the stuffing. Sauté in a little bit of oil the mushrooms, shallots and garlic until soft, season with salt and pepper; in another pan, cook chards in a bit of butter and with the onions. When cooked, add the cream, salt and pepper and let reduce until the cream mixes with the greens.

• When all ingredients are ready, in a mixing bowl, add the sausage meat, Swiss chard, and mushrooms. Season with all spices, salt and pepper; add thyme, red wine and eggs; Mix until the mixture is perfectly homogenized.

• Spread this stuffing onto the breast of veal and roll it, tie it firmly like a roast.

• In a large pan, heat some oil and butter, season and then sear the roast on all sides, add the tomatoes and the white wine. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 1½ hours.

• Remove the roast, slice it and whisk all the trimmings in the bottom of the pan (with the help of water if needed) and pour around the roast before serving.