CONSOMMÉ Flashcards
What is a consommé?
Perfectly clear soup, so clear the it looks like distilled liquid.
When you lift a spoonful of consommé what should happen?
It should sparkle.
What does limpid mean?
Perfectly clear.
Why don’t you see consommé served at a lot of restaurants?
It takes some work and has a fussy reputation.
What actually clarifies the consommé? How?
Egg whites, forming as they coagulate with the meat into a kind of filter that raps the particles that make stock cloudy; albumin in the egg whites trap the floating protein particles in a broth and solidify it.
The filter is called what?
“The clarification,” or, after its formed, “the raft.”
Why do you need to include meat, vegetables and herbs to a consommé?
Because the filter traps protein particles AND flavor.
After the raft has formed, the stock is simmered gently to infuse it with more flavor and further the clarification process. Broth is then labeled through what?
Coffee filter…and that is consommé.
How would you add more flavor to this consommé ratio?
Add a higher amount of meat and vegetables. Additional aromatics (bay leaf, thyme, peppercorn, parsley, oignon brulée) are advised.
What should you remember to do during the early stages of cooking a consommé?
Stir continuously with a flat bottomed spoon, dragging the spoon across the bottom and into the corners of the pot, in order to keep the egg whites from sticking to the bottom of the pan, where they will scorch.
How long should you simmer a consommé?
About an hour.
Can you break up the raft?
Try to disturb it as little as possible.
A good trick to pick up fat of the surface.
Skim paper towel along the surface.
Can you pout anything in a consommé to garnish?
Mostly, but be careful of grains for they may cloud the consommé.
One of the pleasures of consommé?
They way it shows off garnish.
