At Christmas dinners we cannot forget the star starter, consommé. We remind you that in Recetín we have already talked about the soups in a few posts and we have given you the recipes of the Fish stock and chicken soup. Nutritious and comforting, the consommé warms our bodies in these cold months and prepares our stomachs for the following dishes from the rest of the menu.
Therefore, the ideal is to start with a good consommé or broth, which in turn are the ideal base for more elaborate exquisite soups. The consommé can be meat, fish or vegetables. And one of the fundamental rules is that it must be crystal clear, free of all impurities such as fat or the remains of bones, thorns or meat. In this post we are going to show you how to achieve it.
Meat, fish or vegetables are the elemental substance that will give the particular aroma, flavor and color to consommé. Not in vain, if the consommé is meat or fish must be enriched with vegetables that soften and increase its flavor at once. Onions, leeks, turnips, celery and carrots are usually added. The amount of water It is also important. It will vary depending on the amount of ingredients that we are going to cook and also the power of flavor that we want for the consommé. It is usually recommended to take twice the weight of the stock in water.
Regarding its transparency, we always wonder how it is possible that the consommés in restaurants are as clear as they are tasty. That is because they have clarified. How do you do that? Well, it is very simple. Normally once the consommé has boiled and taken the substance of all the products, these are removed and we pass the broth to another pot through a very fine strainer. We put it to boil again and while make a dough with a little minced meat or fish and a few egg whites (depending on the amount of broth) beaten until frothy. Without fear and without stirring we add this mixture to the broth, that as it boils we notice that the whites They rise to the surface and collect all the impurities. After a few minutes, we sneak in again this broth and we will see that it comes out crystalline like water but with its particular color.
El aromatic and personal touch of our consommé will be given by the spices, wine or liquor that we add at the last minute before serving. A little chopped parsley, a few sprigs of fennel, mint, bay leaf, sherry wine, a splash of cognac, etc. The thing is to try to see how we better satisfy our guests. But what is certain is that with a transparent and tasty consommé the children will not protest us.