Best Consomme Recipes

BEEF CONSOMME

Steps:

• Whip egg whites until frothy.
• Combine egg whites, beef, mirepoix, and tomatoes in a stockpot.
• Add COLD beef broth, mix well.
• Put spices, except salt, in cheesecloth, tie to seal, and put in broth.
• Add salt to taste to broth.
• Bring mixture to a simmer (DO NOT BOIL) you should see a little steam over the surface of the broth, but no bubbling, or as few bubbles rising to the surface as possible.
• Stirring occasionally.
• The beef and vegetable mixture will eventually harden and rise to the top.
• Do not stir after this has happened.
• Break a hole in the beef mixture to allow broth to bubble through.
• Simmer approximately 90 minutes.
• Strain through cheesecloth, degrease.
• Adjust seasoning.

BEEF CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Prepare clarification mixture Pulse chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor or mini-chopper until finely chopped. Whisk egg whites until frothy, then add ground beef and chopped vegetables and mix well with your hands. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
• Make onion brûlé Sear the remaining onion wedge in a small cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat on both cut sides until blackened, then coarsely chop.
• Clarify stock Pour stock into a stockpot. Remove the clarification mixture from the refrigerator and add the browned onion and the tomato, then add this mixture to the pot. Set over medium-high heat and whisk briskly until thoroughly incorporated with the stock. Use a wooden spoon to stir at a slower speed until the solids rise to the top, then stop stirring. Continue cooking until frothy bubbles start to form around the sides of the raft. Reduce heat to medium-low and use a spoon or a ladle to make a hole in the raft so the consommé can bubble freely, and you can see the color and clarity of the broth. At this point the broth should be clear; further simmering is to develop more flavor.
• Remove raft and strain consommé Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the raft starts to sink a bit. Ladle the consommé from the pot through the hole in the raft (or you can crack it at this point, since it has solidified) into a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a heatproof container. Discard the raft. Then strain broth again, this time through a coffee filter. Remove fat by sweeping a paper towel across top of consommé several times. Reheat if necessary. Season with salt and garnish as desired. If not serving immediately, allow consommé to cool and then refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. Before using, remove and discard solidified fat that has accumulated at the top and reheat consommé over gentle heat, just until hot.
• Follow the directions above for beef consommé, substituting ground chicken and chicken stock for the ground beef and beef stock.
• Use only coarse salt to season consommé; iodized (table) salt will cause it to turn cloudy.
• The clarification mixture should be kept as cold as possible until needed (always add tomato, or other acidic ingredient, just before using, since it will cause the egg whites to coagulate too soon).
• Monitor the temperature of the consommé as it cooks to make sure it is at a gentle simmer.

YUMMY BAKED RICE WITH BEEF CONSOMMÉ AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• 1. Place stick of butter in 11 x 13 casserole dish.
• 2. Place in oven; turn temperature to 350 degrees.
• 3. Remove dish when butter is melted.
• 4. Add rice, soups, and mushrooms to dish atop melted butter.
• 5. Stir loosely with fork or spoon so that all rice is dispersed in liquid.
• 6. Place dish in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden.
• 7. The rice can be made early in the day (even the day before) and reheated just before serving. It reheats beautifully in the microwave or on a very low oven (250 F to 300 F) for 15 minutes or until heated through.

BEEF CONSOMMé WITH HERBED CREPES JULIENNE

Steps:

• Make consommé:
• Make 2 crêpes (procedure follows) with the herbed crêpe batter and cut them into julienne strips. In a baking pan spread the shanks, the onions, and the carrot, brown the mixture well in a preheated 450°F. oven, and transfer it to a kettle. Add 2 cups water to the baking pan, deglaze the pan over moderately high heat, scraping up the brown bits, and add the liquid to the kettle with 3 1/2 quarts cold water, the celery, the salt, and the cheesecloth bag. Bring the water to a boil, skimming the froth, and simmer the mixture, adding boiling water if necessary to keep the ingredients barely covered, for 3 hours. Add the chicken and enough water to cover the mixture and simmer the mixture, skimming it, for 2 to 3 hours, or until it is reduced to about 2 quarts. Remove the chicken and reserve it for another use. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids, and let it cool. Chill the stock, remove the fat,and clarify the stock.
• To clarify stock:
• In a kettle combine the stock, the shells, the egg whites, the scallions, and, if necessary, salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring, simmer the stock, undisturbed, for 20 minutes, and ladle it through a fine sieve lined with a double thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth into a bowl. Makes about 6 cups clarified stock.
• In a large saucepan heat the consommé over moderately low heat until it is hot and serve it garnished with the chives and the julienne herbed crêpes.
• To make crêpes:
• In a blender or food processor blend the flour, the broth, the eggs, the butter, and the salt for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container, and blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl, stir in the herbs, and let the batter stand, covered, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes enough batter for about 16 crêpes.
• Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.

BEEF CONSOMME

Steps:

• Reduce the beef stock by boiling down to half in a large stockpot over medium heat with semi-open lid.
• Set the 2 onion halves on aluminum foil on a hot burner and caramelize the surfaces for approx 10 min minimum.
• They need to burn black, while doing so, do not lift off the foil to check. The rim of the onion will turn black and then you can check.
• This will not influence the taste of the consommé, but make the color dark brown.
• Chop all the vegetables (not the spices!) in the food processor till very coarse.
• Add the beef cubes and pulse several more times, but do not puree!
• Put the mix into a bowl and add the 3 egg whites. Incorporate the mixture well and add the spices.
• Whisk the mix into the warm beef stock reduction and let simmer without boiling.
• Carefully stir mixture and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, until the egg foam starts to rise to the top, about 30 minute.
• When the egg foam starts to solidify, make a small hole into the middle with a wooden spoon, this will keep the mass compact and easier to handle later.
• Continue to simmer, until the egg foam mixture is solid, about another 30 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat.
• Skim the egg foam mix carefully off the top with a slotted ladle.*.
• Line a sieve with dampened cheeseclothes or a cotton dishtowel and ladle the consommé 1 spoonful after another through the sieve into a big sauce pan.
• If for any reason the consommé is NOT clear at this stage, reheat and add 3 more egg whites to the consommé. This should pick up any left over particles in the liquid.
• Always move the fluids slowly and carefully.
• Repeat the sieving process, if necessary.
• Heat consommé gently and season with salt to taste.
• The consommé should be of a warm brown color.
• Best as a soup in a French gourmet dinner.
• * Do not discard the leftover solid foam etc, but let it cool down and let your pooch have a healthy, yet luxurious Sunday treat!

BEEF RICE CONSOMME

Steps:

• 1. Melt margarine or butter in a saucepan. Drain the mushrooms and add those and the onion to the butter and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 2. Add the beef consomme and 1 can of water. Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir thoroughly.
• 3. in a baking dish, add the raw rice and pour the sauce mixture over the rice and stir to mix up. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until rice is done to your liking.

BRILLIANT BEEF CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Begin by making the onion brûlée (the secret ingredient). Chef's Note: An onion brûlée, is an onion that is cut in half and charred on a hot dry surface such as a flat top griddle or a dry fry pan, and is used to impart a rich color to a stock. Set the onion brûlée aside and move on to the next step. Chef's Note: We will only need 1/2 of the onion.
• Place the egg whites, and the ground beef into the bowl of a food processor, fitted with an S-blade attachment, and give the ingredients a few pulses, until fully incorporated. Chef's Tip: The easiest way to separate the whites from the yolk is to crack the egg open in your hand, and let the white slip between your fingers.
• Chef's Note: While it is a lot easier to do this with a food processor, you can achieve the same results with a large bowl, a whisk, and a bit of elbow grease.
• Add the tomatoes, a bit of salt, and pulse several times. Finally, add the onions, celery, and carrots. Give it a few pulses until you have one, combined, gloppy, gooey mess.
• Chef's Note: if you are using a food processor, you don't have to be so picky about chopping up all the veggies, because that S-blade will do all the work for you. I love my Braun food processor; it's a workhorse of a system; however, to use one you need a 220vac outlet in your kitchen.
• Chef's Note: The acids in the salt, and the tomatoes (plus all the agitation) will help to denature the proteins in the eggs, and meat, and help to clarify the stock; while the rest of the ingredients will help to flavor the consommé. Denatured raw proteins attract cook proteins, and that's the stuff that's clouding our stock.
• Add the cold beef stock to a large pot, and then pour in our raft materials (that's the gloppy mess). Stir to completely combine the stock with the raft ingredients, and then add the onion brulee, garlic cloves, and the rest of the herbs.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium to medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Stop stirring when the meat begins to float to the surface of the liquid. This should be just before it comes to a boil.
• Chef's Note: This is the tricky part... You need to keep stirring to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot, and burning. If that happens... throw it away and begin again. Once the ingredients rise to the surface, you're safe from the ingredients burning, and you need to stop stirring, so they have a chance to bind together.
• As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat down slightly, and move the pot off center of the burner. That way, the section of the pot over the burner will continue to boil, and it should boil over the raft on the cooler side.
• Continue to allow the stock to bubble through the raft, and keep simmering until the stock clarifies, and becomes (by definition) a consommé. This will take an additional thirty to sixty minutes, but no more than sixty. Remember: Boiling veggies give up all they are going to give in a maximum of sixty minutes, and then begin releasing sulfur compounds.
• Chef"s Note: At this point all you have to do is watch the magic happen. Even if the consommé clarifies in thirty minutes, I'll usually keep it on heat for sixty minutes, to get as much flavor out of the veggies as I can.
• Once finished, remove the pot from the burner. The tricky part now is removing the golden liquid out of the pot without disturbing the raft. I typically allow the consommé to cool, and as it does the raft will settle to the bottom of the pot. Then, I use a ladle, and strain it through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth.
• This consommé is excellent to use with my French Onion Soup recipe, or just as a first dish at a nice party.

BEET CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Boil beets, covered, in water (4 quarts) in a 6- to 8-quart pot over moderate heat until tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer beets with a slotted spoon to a plate to cool slightly, reserving cooking water. When beets are cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Cut 1 beet into 1/4-inch dice and reserve for garnish. Cut remaining beets into 1/2-inch pieces and return to cooking liquid in pot. Add turkey, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dill sprigs, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns and simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Pour soup through a dampened cheesecloth-lined sieve set into a 3-quart heavy saucepan, discarding solids. Measure soup: If there is more than 6 cups, boil in cleaned pot until reduced; if there is less, add enough water to total 6 cups.
• Skim fat from consommé, then add lemon juice and sugar and heat until hot.
• Divide diced beet and chopped dill among 8 shallow soup plates and ladle consomm on top.

CONSOMME PORK CHOPS AND RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Over medium high heat in dutch oven on the stove, combine rice, butter and onion. Cook until rice is lightly browned, butter melted and onion soft.
• Add 2 cans Consomme Beef soup
• Add 1 can water.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.
• Bring to a boil.
• lightly spray a 9X13 pan and pour mixture into sprayed pan; distributing mixture evenly.
• lay pork chops in a single layer over the top.
• Bake for 1 hour uncovered.

CHILLED TOMATO CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Cut fronds from fennel stalks and reserve. Cut whole fennel (with stalks) in half lengthwise and core. Separate layers, reserving 3 or 4 tender inner pieces, and coarsely chop remaining fennel, including stalks.
• Cook onions, garlic, and chopped fennel in oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in puréed tomato, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
• Pour tomato mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4-quart saucepan, pressing hard on solids and then discarding them, and bring tomato broth to a full boil.
• Whisk together egg whites, herbs, ice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl until frothy, then quickly pour into boiling broth, whisking vigorously 2 or 3 times. (Egg mixture will rise to surface and form a "raft.") When broth returns to a simmer, find a place where bubbles break through raft and gently enlarge hole to the size of a ladle. Cook broth at a bare simmer, uncovered, without stirring (keep raft opening clear by gently spooning out any froth), until broth is clear, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and, disturbing raft as little as possible, carefully ladle out consommé through opening in raft, tilting saucepan as necessary, and transfer to cleaned fine-mesh sieve lined with a double layer of dampened paper towels set over a bowl or large glass measure. Discard raft. Chill consommé, uncovered, until cold, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Just before serving, season consommé with salt. Slice reserved tender fennel into thin slivers and toss with fennel fronds, pear tomatoes, and vinegar. Divide consommé and tomato salad among chilled bowls.

CONSOMME PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, and press in the flour to lightly coat. Place chops in the skillet, and lightly brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
• In a large baking dish, mix the rice, consomme, and water. Arrange onion slices over the rice. Top with pork chops.
• Bake in the preheated oven 1 1/2 hours, or until rice is tender and pork is done.

LEEK AND GINGER MATZO BALLS IN LEMONGRASS CONSOMMé

Steps:

• For consommé:
• Place chicken in extra-large pot. Add next 7 ingredients, then enough cold water to cover (about 18 cups). Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup 2 hours, skimming impurities from surface. Let stand 30 minutes. Strain consommé into large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 8 cups, if necessary. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled (fat will form solid layer on top).
• For matzo balls:
• Whisk 4 eggs in medium bowl. Mix in leek, chicken fat, broth, coarse salt, ginger, and pepper. Stir in matzo meal. Cover; chill at least 4 hours.
• Using wet hands, shape generous 2 tablespoons matzo mixture into balls. Place on sheet of foil. Bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Drop in matzo balls; cover pot. Reduce heat to low; simmer until matzo balls are cooked through, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls in single layer to shallow dish. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
• Rewarm consommé. Add more lemon juice by teaspoonfuls, if desired. Add matzo balls; simmer to reheat, 5 to 10 minutes. Divide matzo balls and consommé among 6 bowls. Garnish with chopped chives.
• What to drink:
• A fragrant white wine would be great with the consommé. We like the Yarden 2007 Gewürztraminer, a kosher wine made in Israel ($18).

SAVORY CONSOMME RICE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Saute onion and mushroons in butter.
• Add rice, consomme, water, salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic powder.
• Pour into greased two quart pyrex dish. Cover and bake one hour at 350 degrees.

BARELY COOKED SALMON WITH PARMESAN POLENTA AND MUSHROOM CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Place the button mushrooms in a pan, cover with 8 cups of the water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 3 hours.
• Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the mushrooms to release the liquid. You should have at least 2 cups mushroom stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a saucepan and set aside. (The stock can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a month.)
• Trim the gyromitre or morel mushrooms, discarding the stems, and halve them. Because these mushrooms can be particularly sandy, soak them in cold water to remove any dirt. Lift out of the water, rinse, and repeat two more times.
• Heat the canola oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and have given up their liquid, but are not dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and the parsley and toss to incorporate. Set the pan aside.
• Bring the milk, the remaining 2 cups water, and 4 tablespoons of the butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer. Whisking constantly, slowly add the polenta, continuing to whisk until the polenta is completely incorporated. Cook for 5 minutes. The polenta will be very thin. Add the Parmesan and stir to incorporate. Set the pan aside.
• Cut the salmon crosswise into 1-inch slices. Pull the ends of each side together, as if you were closing a book, and secure with a toothpick. In a flameproof shallow casserole large enough to accommodate all the salmon fillets, bring 1/4 inch of generously salted water to a simmer. Season each fillet on both sides with salt and pepper and add to the casserole. Gently poach for 3 to 5 minutes, until the salmon is warm to the touch on top, but still quite rare on top and inside.
• Meanwhile, gently reheat the mushroom broth, the wild mushrooms, and polenta. If the mushrooms are dry, add another tablespoon of butter and a bit of water to moisten.
• To serve, spoon a circle of polenta into the center of each plate. Spoon 1/4 cup of the mushroom broth around each polenta circle. Place 2 salmon fillets on each bed of polenta and spoon the mushrooms over the salmon. Serve immediately.

CONSOMME RICE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350deg.
• 2. Melt butter in 1.5QT round CorningWare or Pyrex dish.
• 3. Add rest of ingredients. Stir briefly.
• 4. Cover and cook for 1hr.
• 5. Stir before serving. Enjoy!

BEEF CONSOMME' EGG NOODLES

Steps:

• Put 4-6 quarts water on stove to boil.
• Add dry noodes. Bring back to boil and cook 7 minutes.
• Drain. Do not rinse.
• Oven temperature 350*.
• In 9 X 13 glass pan, spray Pam or grease the pan.
• Add the consomme'.
• Rinse out the cans with the hot water.
• Add to the pan and stir.
• Add the butter or margarine and bay leaf.
• Add the precooked noodles and stir until all are covered in consome'.
• Cover the dish with foil.
• Bake 20 to 30 minutes.
• Stir twice while cooking.
• Serve right from the dish. Add salt and pepper and more margarine if you prefer.
• Note: Sometimes I added a cup of sliced onion with the noodles while cooking. Some like it that way.

CREATING A CONSOMMé WITH A RAFT

Steps:

• 1. Chef's Note: The ingredients chosen for the raft will add flavor to the stock. For example, the choice of chicken thighs over white meat, will deepen the flavors in the stock, but will also create a darker consommé, which may not be desirable.
• 2. Chef's Note: You will need about 2.5 quarts of good, fresh chicken stock for this recipe. I usually make the chicken stock the day before, let cool in the refrigerator, and then build the raft the following day. My Hearty Chicken Stock recipe would be excellent for this consommé.
• 3. Combine the ground chicken and egg whites in a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Chef's Note: A food processor is not a must have... An alternate would be to use a large mixing bowl, and beat away.
• 4. Add the chopped tomato, a good pinch of salt, and continue to beat away. Chef's Note: Why all the Beating? The agitation, plus the salt, and the acid in the tomato will denature the proteins, and that's essential to making the raft work properly.
• 5. Add the chopped onion, leek, celery, parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, garlic, and peppercorns. Continue to beat until fully combined. The resulting mixture should resemble a big gloppy mess. Chef's Note: If you're using a mixing bowl, you'll want to beat for another 2 minutes... If you're using a food processor, about 30 seconds.
• 6. In a large pot, stir the mixture into the cold chicken stock, and then bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Chef's Note: This is your first test. If you don't keep the mixture active, it will stick to the bottom on the pot and burn... After it begins to boil, the mixture will float off the bottom of the pot, and you'll be safe.
• 7. When the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring, or you'll break the raft. Move the pot slightly off center of your burner, so that it's only boiling on one side. Allow it to boil over the raft, pushing it to the far side of the pot. This leaves an area of the boiling liquid exposed to that you can see the progress of the clarification.
• 8. Turn the heat to low, and keep the stock simmering. Chef's Note: During this time, you should taste and season. Salting at the end just makes it taste salty, salting while it's simmering makes is taste seasoned.
• 9. Continue to simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour and a half, or until the stock is perfectly clear.
• 10. Remove from the burner, and then strain the stock. Chef's Note: This is your second and last test... How to remove the clear liquid from the raft without breaking it. If you break it, will have to throw it away and begin the process all over.
• 11. Chef's Note: Straining Method # 1: Take the pot off the heat and wait about 15 minutes. As the liquid cools, the raft will quietly settle to the bottom. You can then carefully ladle the consommé through a fine-mesh sieve, lined with cheesecloth.
• 12. Chef's Note: Straining Method #2: Use the bowl of a ladle to carefully push the raft to the bottom, and then strain the golden liquid, as suggested in Method #1.
• 13. Plate/Present A good consommé in a nice clean white bowl with a few veggies makes for an excellent starter, at any meal.
• 14. Final Thoughts: A good four hours to make the stock, and another two hours to make the consommé... that's a lot of time, and effort. And let's not forget all the ingredients. Since the process takes so much time (but it's worth it), I usually increase the recipe to make a gallon, and freeze what I don't use. I use these ziplock containers, and it keeps for 4 months.

DRIED PORCINI CONSOMMé

Steps:

• Place the dried porcinis in a bowl or a pyrex measuring cup and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wipe the fresh mushrooms, trim away the bottoms if they are sandy, break off the stems and set them aside. Set aside half of the caps in a separate bowl and slice the rest.
• Line a strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Drain the porcinis through the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Squeeze over the strainer to extract as much flavorful liquid as possible and set aside the broth. Rinse the reconstituted mushrooms in several changes of water. Measure the mushroom soaking water and add enough water to make 4 cups.
• In a soup pot or a large saucepan, combine the mushroom soaking liquid, the chicken or vegetable stock, the soaked porcinis, fresh mushroom stems and sliced caps, garlic, and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 30 minutes. Strain the soup and return to the saucepan. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and the soy sauce.
• Slice the fresh mushroom caps you set aside paper-thin and toss with a couple of drops of lemon juice. Ladle the soup into bowls or espresso cups, garnish with a couple of slices of mushroom and a sprinkling of chives, and serve.

CHICKEN CONSOMME

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, egg whites, carrot, and celery. Stir to combine. Add 2 cups stock; stir to combine. Add remaining 6 cups stock. Place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil and a solid mass has formed on top. There should be liquid and foam bubbling up around the edges. Do not stir once liquid has come to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, and cook for 45 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Ladle only the clear liquid into a damp cheesecloth-lined sieve. Do not press down on solids; just allow the liquid to drip. If any particles remain in broth, strain again in the same manner. The consomme may be chilled until any remaining fat solidifies on the surface. Remove fat, and discard. The consomme will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

TOMATO CONSOMMé - JAMIE OLIVER

Steps:

• Put everything except the beetroot into a food processor and run until slushy. (You will probably want to split the tomatoes into 2 batches to avoid spillage.).
• Place 4 layers of clean muslin cheesecloth in a deep bowl. Pour the tomato mixture into the cloth. Tie up the corners of the fabric. Add the slice of beetroot to the bowl to color the liquid. Hang the bag from a shelf in the refrigerator with the bowl underneath for 6-8 hours (or longer). Discard the beetroot.
• Serve in a pretty clear bowl with an ice cube to keep it very cold, a nice basil leaf, and a few drops of very good extra-virgin olive oil.