TOMATO AND CELERY-INFUSED BEEF CONSOMMé WITH TINY CHOUX PUFFS

Tomato and Celery-Infused Beef Consommé with Tiny Choux Puffs image

Yield Makes 8 servings (about 6 cups)

Number Of Ingredients 9

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4 large egg whites plus shells, crushed
1 lb plum tomatoes, quartered
1 lb celery (5 to 6 large ribs), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 lb lean ground sirloin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
20 black peppercorns, cracked
6 cups veal stock
Accompaniment: tiny choux puffs
Garnish: celery leaves and diced seeded peeled tomatoes

Steps:

Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until foamy and add eggshells. Separately pulse tomatoes and celery in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then add to egg whites. Whisk in beef, salt, and peppercorns.
Heat veal stock, if jellied, in a 4-quart heavy saucepan just until it becomes liquid, then whisk in beef mixture. Heat over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping bottom constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent egg white from sticking, until stock comes to a simmer (this will take about 20 minutes). Reduce heat and gently simmer broth, without stirring, until all impurities rise to surface and form a crust, and broth underneath is clear, about 30 minutes.
Ladle broth with crust into a large sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened paper towels set over a large bowl and let all liquid drain through. (If liquid doesn't drain completely, tap edge of sieve repeatedly with a metal spoon to help drain.) Broth should be completely clear; if it's not, repeat procedure with clean dampened paper towels. Discard solids.
Before serving, bring consommé to a boil and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with profiteroles and garnishes.