Consommé
Consommé is broth taken to the clarity of glass. Clarification works on a simple principle: egg whites coagulate and trap the suspended particles, forming a dense "raft" on the surface. One rule is absolute: from the moment the raft begins to form, do not stir and do not let it boil.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Roasting the bones 40 min
- Base stock 210 min
- Chilling and degreasing 360 min
- Preparing the raft 15 min
- Clarifying 85 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneRoast the bones and vegetables
Roast the bones and meat at 220°C for 40 minutes until deeply browned, adding the vegetables for the last 20 minutes. Roasting gives colour and depth — raw bones give a pale, insipid stock.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef bones · 500 g beef · 2 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 200 g celeriac · 1 pcs leek · 4000 ml water · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
Simmer the stock very gently
Transfer everything to a pot, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a barely trembling simmer. Skim for the first 20 minutes. Cook 3.5 hours uncovered — never stirring.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef bones · 500 g beef · 2 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 200 g celeriac · 1 pcs leek · 4000 ml water · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
TipHeated slowly from cold, the proteins set gradually and rise to the surface as scum that is easy to skim. Dropped into boiling water, they set at once into fine particles that stay in the stock and cloud it.
Skim the scum during the first twenty minutes.Strain, chill and degrease completely
Strain the stock, pour it into a wide container and cool it quickly (for example in a sink of iced water), then refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. The fat sets on top and lifts off as a single sheet. Remove all of it — any left behind clouds the consommé and leaves greasy beads on the surface.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef bones · 500 g beef · 2 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 200 g celeriac · 1 pcs leek · 4000 ml water · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
Prepare the raft
Mix the minced beef with lightly beaten egg whites, grated carrot, celery, onion and tomatoes. The mixture should be loose and cold. Stir it into the cold stock — in warm stock the whites would seize instantly into flecks.
Ingredients: 400 g minced beef · 5 pcs egg whites · 1 pcs carrot · 2 pcs celery · 1 pcs onion · 200 g tomatoes
A loose, cold mixture stirred into cold stock.Clarify without stirring
Heat very slowly (about 20–25 minutes), stirring only until the liquid turns lukewarm. Then stop stirring entirely. The raft rises and sets. Make a fist-sized hole in it with a spoon and hold the consommé 60 minutes at about 85°C — the liquid in the hole should barely tremble.
Ingredients: 400 g minced beef · 5 pcs egg whites · 1 pcs carrot · 2 pcs celery · 1 pcs onion · 200 g tomatoes
TipThe hole lets you check the liquid is not boiling. If bubbles appear, cut the heat at once — boiling breaks the raft and clouds everything.
The hole in the raft is your window onto the liquid below.Strain through muslin
Line a sieve with double muslin and ladle the consommé out through the hole in the raft — do not tip the pot, or the raft breaks apart. The liquid should be clear enough to see the pattern on the bottom of the bowl.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef bones · 500 g beef · 2 pcs onions · 3 pcs carrots · 200 g celeriac · 1 pcs leek · 4000 ml water · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tsp peppercorns
Ladle through the hole, never tip the pot.Season and serve
Season with salt only now — after 3.5 hours of simmering the stock may be more concentrated than you expect. Drop the finely diced carrot into the hot consommé for 2–3 minutes until tender. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the carrot and a parsley leaf.
Ingredients: 2 tsp salt · ¼ bunch parsley · 1 pcs carrot
Before you start
Rescuing a cloudy consommé
If the raft broke, cool the liquid, add 3 more egg whites and repeat the clarification. The second attempt usually works.
Jellied consommé
Chilled consommé from collagen-rich bones often sets on its own. Served cold as a jelly it is a classic summer starter.
Worth it or not
Consommé takes many hours, with an overnight chill along the way. The meat in the raft deepens the flavour, but above all you are paying in time for clarity. It is made for special occasions and to master a classic technique.
