Consommé (Consommé)
Overview
Consommé is the clear soup of French cuisine: a rich beef or veal stock that has been clarified until it is completely transparent. Cold stock is mixed with lean minced beef, egg whites, finely chopped carrot, leek, celery and tomato and brought very slowly to a simmer. As it heats, the egg whites and meat rise and set into a raft on the surface, trapping every particle that clouds the stock, while the meat and vegetables add flavour. The consommé is left to barely simmer under the raft and then strained through muslin. It is served hot or chilled, plain or with a fine garnish such as a julienne of vegetables.
History
In French the word goes back to the 14th century as the past participle of consommer, to finish, and by the 16th century it meant a finished, concentrated broth. The Académie française dictionary of 1694 defined it as a very succulent broth of well-cooked meat, and the word reached English by 1815; Byron mentions it in Don Juan. Alexis Soyer used consommé in more than a hundred recipes in 1846, Auguste Escoffier gave chicken, fish and game versions, and Louis Saulnier's Le Répertoire de la cuisine of 1914 lists more than a hundred named consommés.
Main ingredients
Beef stock, lean beef, egg whites, carrot, leek, celery. The soup is built on crystal-clear clarified beef broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Beef soups · Egg soups · Leek soups · More soups from France
Recipe
Method
- 1
Mix the beef, egg whites, chopped vegetables, tomato and peppercorns in a large pan and stir in the cold stock.
- 2
Bring very slowly towards a simmer, stirring gently until the mixture begins to rise, then stop stirring.
- 31 h
Let a raft form on top, make a small hole in it and keep the consommé at the barest simmer for 1 hour.
- 4
Ladle it out through the hole and strain through a damp muslin cloth.
- 5
Season, reheat and serve with a little blanched vegetable julienne.
- ✓
Serve. About 1h 50m from start to bowl.
In short: Consommé is a clear broth from France, in Western Europe, made mainly with beef stock, lean beef and egg whites. It contains meat and is served hot or cold.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
