Consomme

By Robert Farrar Capon

Published February 8, 1983

Total Time
7 hours, plus overnight refrigeration
Rating
4(26)
Comments
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Featured in: FOR WINTER BLAHS: PARTY ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2½ quarts

  • 4 to 5 pounds beef bones (shin, neck o knuckle)

  • 2 pounds stewing beef, cubed

  • 1 ½ pounds stewing veal, cubed (or a veal knuckle bone)

  • 2 pounds uncooked chicken parts (backs, necks, wings or drumsticks)

  • 4 leeks

  • 1 large onion, studded with 2 whole cloves

  • 1 cup diced turnip

  • 1 cup diced carrot

  • 2 ribs celery, chopped coarse

  • 1 bay leaf, crumbled

  • 1 teaspoon thyme

  • ½ teaspoon savory

  • ¼ teaspoon blade mace

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 10 whole peppercorns

  • 3 ½ to 4 quarts water (to cover barely)

TO CLARIFY THE CONSOMME

  • 1 pound ground lean beef

  • 3 egg whites

  • 1 leek, shredded

  • 1 carrot, shredded

  • 3 quarts stock from preceding recipe

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. TO CLARIFY THE CONSOMME

    1. Step 1

      Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

    2. Step 2

      Put bones and meat in large baking pan and roast for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until nicely browned.

    3. Step 3

      Put vegetables and seasonings into large stockpot. Add browned meat and bones. Rinse baking pan several times with some of water, scraping to loosen all browning, and add rinsings and remaining water to stockpot.

    4. Step 4

      Bring stock to boil slowly, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 3 ½ hours.

    5. Step 5

      Strain broth through double cheesecloth or bouillon strainer and refrigerate overnight. Residual meats, if combined with fresh vegetables in aggressively seasoned sauce -with, say, plenty of Madeira and Worchestershire sauce - will make quite good pot pies for freezing.

    6. Step 6

      Mix first 4 ingredients thoroughly and stir into cold stock.

    7. Step 7

      Bring stock slowly to boiling point, stirring frequently. Do not let it come to full boil; simmer very gently, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Add thyme and simmer 10 minutes more. Remove from heat, allow to settle and cool for 10 minutes and strain through double cheesecloth or bouillon strainer. (The residual solids can be used for pet food.)

    8. Step 8

      Reheat clarified consomme, check for salt, and serve piping hot in demitasses or small bouillon cups.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
26 user ratings
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Comments

David

The concomme turned out amazing, but you absolutely cannot use the residual solids as pet food - leeks, even in small quantities, can be poisonous for dogs.

Edmund M

Why have three years passed, and still these questions remain unanswered?

Edmund M

@Edmund M In reply to myself, I see my comment was unfair—the answers are in the recipe. For clarification on the second question, the ground beef is mixed with the egg whites, leek and carrot in step six.

Joan

How long do you cook the stock?

Joan

Does the ground beef go in the oven with the 'bones.'. A novice.

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