Copy Cat

There is nothing more disappointing to me than having a meal that I'm not satisfied with, especially when it is something I made. I look forward to each meal as an opportunity to feel fulfilled, content, and try something new. So when I eat something that does not meet these expectations it is quite a letdown.

Tonight I attempted to make Ga-ga's (the name I gave to my grandma when I was a baby) veal cutlets. These cutlets have quite the reputation in my family, so I was apprehensive to take on a dish with such long held expectations. When I was younger, my mom and I actually used to fight over who would eat the last veal cutlet. Whenever we have a visit planned to Ga-ga's house and she plans to make veal cutlets, we look forward to her juicy, savory delights all week long.

I have such vivid memories of cooking veal cutlets with Ga-ga in her kitchen. I always dredged the meat in egg and breadcrumbs, while she stood over the hot stove frying them up. Oil splattered all over her house dress, and me in egg up to my elbows, I always snuck a cutlet while they were still steaming hot and extra crispy. (I'm sure this also contributed to my pudgy frame as a child).

In typical Ga-ga fashion, she froze a bunch of extra veal cutlets the last time we visited. (Like many other thrifty, Depression-era grandparents, Ga-ga freezes EVERYTHING--from milk to one scoop of cool whip.) As I planned this week's dinners, my mom reminded me that we had the frozen veal from Ga-ga. And so began my attempt at Ga-ga's veal cutlets...

I looked through several recipes online, and they all seemed very simple and similar: just dredge the cutlets in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, then fry them in the pan. Easy, right?

Well the process itself was a no-brainer. I've breaded and fried all sorts of things before. But in the end, they just did not taste the same!

First of all, the coating did not stick to the meat once it was cooked. Everything sort of fell apart as I tried to cut it with my fork and knife. I think this was due to the fact that the veal had been frozen and then defrosted. Even though I patted the cutlets dry before the dredging process, it's possible there was still extra moisture on the veal from defrosting, which would have caused the breading not to stick.

Second, the cutlets did not have that crispy texture like Ga-ga's. Mine were a little too dense--possibly from too much egg and breadcrumbs?--which then lead the coating to soak up more oil and become heavy, rather than light and crispy.

And finally, the flavor. It just wasn't there! A major mistake on my part was using plain breadcrumbs instead of seasoned, which is what Ga-ga uses. The veal itself was tasty, but the coating definitely needed some more flavor. Next time, I will have to add in some fresh herbs to the breadcrumbs, such as thyme or rosemary, or some parmesan cheese.

Making mistakes and trying new things is all part of the cooking process. That is how you learn and develop better recipes for the future. But recreating a dish that comes with such strong memories definitely presents a greater challenge. You may be able to recreate the flavor, but recreating the memory is nearly impossible to do. So while I may never be able to cook veal cutlets the way Ga-ga does, someday I will hopefully have my own dish that will create memories for my own family.