216—Directions for Soup with Pastes

Vermicelli and the various Italian pastes should measure about three oz. per quart of consommé. They should first be thrown into boiling, salted water, where they are left to poach for three minutes, whereupon they are drained, cooled, and their cooking is completed in the consommé.

The parboiling of these pastes is necessary in order to get rid of the little agglomerations of flour which adhere to them, and which would otherwise make the consommé cloudy.

Tapioca, sago, salep, &c., should also be apportioned at about three oz. per quart. But this is only an average, for the quality of this kind of products varies greatly, and it is best to choose the goods of an excellent maker, and, in order to avoid surprises, to abide by that choice.

These products need no parboiling; they are merely sprinkled into the boiling consommé while stirring the latter, and they are left to cook until the soup is quite clear. The boiling should be gentle, and the scum should be removed as often as it forms.

The time allowed for cooking naturally varies in accordance with the quality of the goods, but the absolute transparency of the consommé is an infallible sign of its having been completed.

Brazilian, Japanese, and other pearls are used in the same quantities, but they should poach for thirty minutes if required to be very transparent.