Consomme (consomme, franc.) Is a highly salted, very strong and fairly salty broth of meat or game, brewed on bones, seasoned with spices and clarified in a special way. In the classical version, consomme is prepared on the basis of beef or chicken broth. When cooled, the consomme can turn into jelly.
From the history of the dish
At one time it was this property that determined the popularity of the consomme - the first canned food for the Napoleonic troops was prepared with a cast from the consomme. In this way, a thick vegetable soup was preserved, thick meat soups, boiled beans. Before the October Revolution, consomme was quite popular in Russia (there are mentions in the works of the classics of literature). It is interesting that the spread in Russia began much earlier than the Patriotic War of 1812. During the reign of Catherine II the Great, a lot of French cooks worked in Russia, who cooked food according to the recipes that existed in their national culinary traditions. In many Russian restaurants it was very popular to cook and serve the consomme with profiteroles and ham. Usually soup consomme served hot in broth (soup cups) with slices of still warm, slightly toasty bread.
How to cook consommé?
Prepare consomme of beef (veal) or chicken, sometimes - from game.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of lean beef (or veal) with seeds or 1 chicken;
- 1 onion;
- carrot;
- roots;
- pepper-peas;
- Bay leaf;
- carnation.
Preparation:
Broth is boiled with bones and even paws in 2 liters of water with the rest of the ingredients. With a well-boiled broth, the spoon carefully removes the fat that floats on the surface - it turns out unresolved to the consomme. Next, to lighten the broth, it should be filtered through a thick sieve into another saucepan. We put on the fire, bring to a boil and dip into the pan a mixture of raw ground beef and egg whites (proteins serve as a pull). When the pieces of the mixture (you can say, meatballs) come up - they are removed, after which the broth is once again filtered. Further - it's a matter of taste.
Consomme with egg
You can cook, for example, a consomme with a pashot or consomme with an egg in Paris. Peeled celery, carrots, green peas or pods of green beans are cut finely, the cauliflower is divided into small inflorescences and boiled in pre-cooked broth consomme until ready. Immediately before serving, an egg is placed in each soup cup, cooked "in a bag". Season with chopped herbs (parsley, rosemary, basil, coriander, but not dill!).
About options
In modern versions, you can, of course, cook consomme with fish, potatoes, noodles and other ingredients. In the French version, broth consomme is usually served with croutons from the baguette - they are dipped in a bowl of broth, sprinkled with grated cheese and greens.
Consommé with asparagus
You can cook consommé with asparagus. Veal bones are washed and poured into a saucepan with cold, salted water. We cook about