Stock Market 101: Consommé
aka: stock’s demure, sophisticated foreign cousin
This is Volume 8 of Stock Market 101. The backbone to any soup, the world of stock is endless and varied. We’ve covered Roasted Chicken Stock, we’ve covered Veggie Stock, we’ve covered A Whole Chicken, we’ve smoked up the whole house and made Charred Stock, we’ve extracted the very soul of tomatoes to make Tomato Essence, and we’ve done Sweetcorn Stock. Today we are covering CONSOMMÈ, stock and broth’s sophisticated foreign cousin.
This newsletter is part recipe, part educational deep-dive, so if you’re bored feel free to scroll down to the recipe at the bottom!
What is consommé?
Broth, stock, and consommé are all foundational liquids in the world of soup (and cooking in general), and while they share properties and can pretty much be used interchangeably, they differ in technique and use.
Broth is typically made by simmering meat, vegetables, and aromatics in water, resulting in a lighter, more flavorful liquid that can be used as a base for soups or consumed on its own.
Stock is richer and more gelatinous, made by simmering bones (with or without meat) for several hours, a process which extracts collagen from the bones and gives stock its thicker consistency.
Consommé is a refined, clarified form of broth or stock, where impurities are removed through a technique involving egg whites. The result is a super clear, super flavorful liquid, quite fancy liquid to be used in dishes that call for perfectly clear stock.
FUN FACT:
Louis XIV of France, the Sun King, ate four bowls of soup with both lunch and dinner. He is said to have been responsible for the birth of consommé: apparently, he ordered his chef to create a soup so clear that he could see his kingly reflection in it. Can you blame him?
Making Crystal Clear Consommé
You’re going to want to start out with your stock. I had about 1.5 litres of stock, and as you can see, mine was *rather murky* (this is not necessarily a bad thing, it just isn’t ideal when you want a soup within which to see your kingly reflection).
BUT FIRST: Why is stock cloudy/murky in the first place?