Consommé Carmen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-quart heavy stainless-steel stockpot
• •Long-handled wooden spoon
• •2-inch ladle
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Muslin or cheesecloth
• •2-quart porcelain soupière
• •Small saucepan
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the clarification

   Keep every component cold. Loosen 4 egg whites with a whisk until fluid and lightly frothy, not whipped, then mix them with the chilled ground beef and raw tomato purée in a heavy 6-quart pot. Pour in the cold stock gradually, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon so the clarification is evenly dispersed. Cold matters because the proteins must tighten slowly around the impurities; dropped into hot stock, they seize before they can clean it.

2. 2

   Raise the raft

   Set the pot over medium-low heat and stir slowly but continuously, scraping the bottom, until the stock grows warm and the proteins begin collecting into pale curds. As those curds rise and join into a raft across the surface, stop stirring completely. Open a hole about 2 inches (5 cm) wide in the center with the bowl of a ladle so the broth can circulate through it.

   Once the raft closes over the broth, the spoon comes out. Stirring now tears the filter you have just built.
3. 3

   Clarify at a tremble

   Lower the heat until the liquid beneath the raft barely trembles, with only an occasional bubble appearing through the chimney. Cook gently for 50 to 60 minutes, ladling a little clear broth through the opening and over the raft every 15 minutes without breaking its surface. A hard boil fractures the raft and drives its captured particles back into the broth. If the pot threatens to boil, pull it from the heat at once and let the raft settle before continuing. If it breaks completely, finish the simmer, strain and chill the broth, then whisk in the 2 reserved whites and repeat the slow heating without beef. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Filter without pressing

   Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean pot and line it with dampened muslin or four layers of damp cheesecloth. Ladle the clear consommé through the chimney and into the sieve, working patiently and leaving the raft behind. Never pour the whole pot through and never press the solids, because pressure forces cloudiness into the broth. Draw a strip of clean paper towel lightly across the surface to lift any remaining fat. The consommé should be transparent rose-amber, not red, with enough body to cling faintly to the lips. Add the salt, taste, and adjust carefully.

5. 5

   Cut the garnish

   Score the 2 firm tomatoes at the base, lower them into boiling water for 10 seconds, then cool them immediately and slip off the skins. Quarter them, remove the seeds, and press the flesh gently between clean towels to remove loose juice. Cut the tomato into neat ¼-inch (6 mm) dice. Cut the mild capsicum julienne-fashion, meaning fine match-shaped rods, and separate the plain-boiled rice grains with a fork.

6. 6

   Poach the tomato

   Measure 1 cup (240 ml) of the clarified consommé into a small saucepan and bring it to a bare simmer. Add the tomato dice and poach for 30 to 45 seconds, only until warmed and slightly tender while still holding their shape. Lift the dice with a slotted spoon and return their poaching broth to the main consommé through a clean fine sieve. If the tomato begins collapsing, stop the cooking immediately; ragged tomato clouds the tureen, while firm dice remain distinct.

7. 7

   Fill the tureen

   Warm a 2-quart soupière with hot water, then empty and dry it. Arrange the poached tomato dice, capsicum julienne, and plain-boiled rice in the bottom. If the rice has clumped, rinse it briefly under hot water and drain it thoroughly before adding it; loose grains keep the broth clear.

8. 8

   Pour and serve

   Bring the remaining consommé to a full boil in the clean pot and pour it immediately over the garnish in the warm tureen. Add the chervil pluches at the last moment so their green stays fresh and their flavor remains delicate. Ladle without stirring up the garnish more than necessary, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose stock that sets to a soft jelly when cold. Gelatin gives consommé its proper body after clarification, while an aggressively reduced or salty stock becomes harsh. Season only after the raft has done its work.
• •Raw tomato purée means ripe tomato flesh crushed smooth without cooking. In a poor tomato season, well-drained canned whole tomatoes make an honest purée for the raft, but the visible garnish still needs firm fresh fruit that can hold a clean dice.
• •Capsicum here means mild sweet red pepper, never a hot chile. Cut it into very fine matchsticks so the final boiling pour softens it just enough without a separate cooking step.
• •Test clarity by holding a spoonful over printed paper or a pale plate. You should see through the broth easily; a second pass through clean damp cloth removes stray particles, but only reclarification can correct a truly cloudy batch.
• •Serve Consommé Carmen as the first course of a formal dinner, with a dry Champagne or restrained dry white wine. The portion should be modest and very hot, because precision, not abundance, carries this course.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the brown beef stock ahead and chill it completely so its fat can be lifted away before clarification. Beginning with cold, thoroughly skimmed stock is essential.
• •The consommé can be clarified up to 2 days ahead. Cool it rapidly over an ice bath, cover, and refrigerate; lift away any fat that sets on top before reheating.
• •Boil the rice and cut the capsicum earlier on serving day, keeping them chilled in separate covered containers. Peel and dice the garnish tomatoes no more than a few hours ahead so they remain firm.
• •Keep every garnish separate from the consommé until service. Bring the broth to a full boil, fill the warm tureen, and add the chervil pluches only as the soup goes to the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)