How To Make Consomme Recipe
Yield: 1 infoRecipe by luhu.jp
Ingredients:
NO INGREDIENTS
Directions:
A good consomm depends on a very rich stock. Winoy, watery stocks
wont work. Make your stock trong enough by using extra amounts of
fresh meaty bones or aromatic vegetables. You can also reduce a
finished stock by boiling gently to concentrate flavor. But dont
cook it down too much or it will taste flat and dull. Starting out
extra-strong is crucial because the very things that give stock
flavor all those tiny particles thatalso make it murky will be
removed during the clarification. Skimming a stock regularly while it
simmers will also produce a clearer, better-flavored stock.
The transformation from cloudy stock to clear soup is carried out by
the proteins in a mixture called a clearmeat egg whites, some ground
or chopped meat (except when making vegetarian consomm), and some
aromatic vegetables and seasonings for flavor. When the stock and the
clearmeat are heated, the particles in the stock coagulate with the
egg white and meat protein. In effect, the stock is filtered. You can
also add tomatoes to the clearmeat; their acid will help the
coagulation, but theyll darken the consomm slighlty.
Make clearmeat by first chopping up onions, celery, carrots, and the
principal flavoring ingredient (seafood, chicken, beef, or mushrooms
depending on what kind of consomm youre making). Mix this with egg
whites, salt and pepper and process it in a food processor until very
fine. You can use egg whites alone, but the other ingredients boost
and fine-tune the flavor of the finished consomm. Seasonings such as
salt and pepper are added to the clearmeat because you dont want to
add them to a finished, perfectly clear consomm. The stock itself
should also be well seasoned.
The clarification process begins byu whisking about two cups of cool
or warm stock into the clearmeat and then adding this mixture to the
rest of the stock. If youve just made your stock and its still hot,
take extra care to whisk the stock, a little a time, thoroughly with
the clearmeat so the heat doesnt coagulate the eggs too soon.
The next step is to bring the whole thong to a gentle simmer over high
heat, stirring constantly and gently to prevent the clearmeat from
settling at the bottom of the pot and burning which will ruin
everything. A good tool to use is a long-handled spatula or
flat-ended spoon that will scrape the bottom of the pot. Dont rush
this stage if the clearmeat cooks too quickly, it wont take in all
of the suspended particles and thoroughly clarify the stock.
When the stock reaches a boil, immediately turn down the heat as low
as possible while still maintaining a gentle simmer. Stop stirring.
The clearmeat will gradually coagulate and rise to the top as a crust
called the "raft". The raft acts as a filter, trapping all the tiny
suspended particles as they bubble up through it. Use a ladle or a
large spoon to poke a hole in the raft, called a chimney, if a hole
doesnt form naturally. The raft will set up better if you baste it
occasionally by ccarefully ladling some stock over it. Dont let the
stock boil, which will break up the raft and ruin the clarification
of the consomm.
After the raft forms, let the stock simmer gently, undisturbed, for
about 20 minutes, or until perfectly clear and richly flavored. If
the consomm isnt clear after 30 minutes of simmering, most likely
the raft has broken up or has stuck to the bottom of the pot. In this
case, strain the stock, discard the raft, and begin by making a fresh
clearmeat mixture using the same stock.
Now the trick is to retrieve the crystal-clear consomm without mixing
up the raft. Just work slowly so you can control the liquids and
solids separately. Line a sieve with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth.
Ladle the consomm through the lined sieve. Dont try to force the
liquid through the sieve, which will only cloud the consomm. When you
get down to the bottom of the pot, tilt it over the sieve to pour out
all of the free-running consomm; use the ladle to keep the raft from
falling out of the pot. Throw away the raft and set the consomm
aside to cool, preferably using an ice-bath.
Remove any traces of fat from the consomm by blotting the surface with
paper towels. A well-made consomm will be fat-free. It will keep for
three days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.
by Irving Shelby Smith Fine Cooking June-July 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 06-17-95
Source from luhu.jp
wont work. Make your stock trong enough by using extra amounts of
fresh meaty bones or aromatic vegetables. You can also reduce a
finished stock by boiling gently to concentrate flavor. But dont
cook it down too much or it will taste flat and dull. Starting out
extra-strong is crucial because the very things that give stock
flavor all those tiny particles thatalso make it murky will be
removed during the clarification. Skimming a stock regularly while it
simmers will also produce a clearer, better-flavored stock.
The transformation from cloudy stock to clear soup is carried out by
the proteins in a mixture called a clearmeat egg whites, some ground
or chopped meat (except when making vegetarian consomm), and some
aromatic vegetables and seasonings for flavor. When the stock and the
clearmeat are heated, the particles in the stock coagulate with the
egg white and meat protein. In effect, the stock is filtered. You can
also add tomatoes to the clearmeat; their acid will help the
coagulation, but theyll darken the consomm slighlty.
Make clearmeat by first chopping up onions, celery, carrots, and the
principal flavoring ingredient (seafood, chicken, beef, or mushrooms
depending on what kind of consomm youre making). Mix this with egg
whites, salt and pepper and process it in a food processor until very
fine. You can use egg whites alone, but the other ingredients boost
and fine-tune the flavor of the finished consomm. Seasonings such as
salt and pepper are added to the clearmeat because you dont want to
add them to a finished, perfectly clear consomm. The stock itself
should also be well seasoned.
The clarification process begins byu whisking about two cups of cool
or warm stock into the clearmeat and then adding this mixture to the
rest of the stock. If youve just made your stock and its still hot,
take extra care to whisk the stock, a little a time, thoroughly with
the clearmeat so the heat doesnt coagulate the eggs too soon.
The next step is to bring the whole thong to a gentle simmer over high
heat, stirring constantly and gently to prevent the clearmeat from
settling at the bottom of the pot and burning which will ruin
everything. A good tool to use is a long-handled spatula or
flat-ended spoon that will scrape the bottom of the pot. Dont rush
this stage if the clearmeat cooks too quickly, it wont take in all
of the suspended particles and thoroughly clarify the stock.
When the stock reaches a boil, immediately turn down the heat as low
as possible while still maintaining a gentle simmer. Stop stirring.
The clearmeat will gradually coagulate and rise to the top as a crust
called the "raft". The raft acts as a filter, trapping all the tiny
suspended particles as they bubble up through it. Use a ladle or a
large spoon to poke a hole in the raft, called a chimney, if a hole
doesnt form naturally. The raft will set up better if you baste it
occasionally by ccarefully ladling some stock over it. Dont let the
stock boil, which will break up the raft and ruin the clarification
of the consomm.
After the raft forms, let the stock simmer gently, undisturbed, for
about 20 minutes, or until perfectly clear and richly flavored. If
the consomm isnt clear after 30 minutes of simmering, most likely
the raft has broken up or has stuck to the bottom of the pot. In this
case, strain the stock, discard the raft, and begin by making a fresh
clearmeat mixture using the same stock.
Now the trick is to retrieve the crystal-clear consomm without mixing
up the raft. Just work slowly so you can control the liquids and
solids separately. Line a sieve with a clean, damp, lint-free cloth.
Ladle the consomm through the lined sieve. Dont try to force the
liquid through the sieve, which will only cloud the consomm. When you
get down to the bottom of the pot, tilt it over the sieve to pour out
all of the free-running consomm; use the ladle to keep the raft from
falling out of the pot. Throw away the raft and set the consomm
aside to cool, preferably using an ice-bath.
Remove any traces of fat from the consomm by blotting the surface with
paper towels. A well-made consomm will be fat-free. It will keep for
three days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.
by Irving Shelby Smith Fine Cooking June-July 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 06-17-95
Source from luhu.jp