Consommé Favorite

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •13 mm (½-inch) melon baller or spoon-cutter
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Two medium saucepans
• •Fine skewer or cake tester
• •2½ to 3-quart heatproof soupière

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the consommé

   Inspect the cold chicken consommé before heating it. Lift away every bead of fat from the surface and leave any sediment behind as you measure it into a clean saucepan, reserving about 1 cup for loosening the liaison. The consommé is the finished foundation this entry expects the cook to reach for; reheating and garnishing it belong here, while making and clarifying it remain their own preparation.

   A well-made chicken consommé often sets softly when cold. That is a sign of gelatin and body, not a fault; it will return to a clear liquid over gentle heat.
2. 2

   Poach the tapioca

   Bring 4 cups of the water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a gentle boil. Rain in the tapioca while stirring, then lower the heat and poach at a quiet simmer, stirring occasionally, until every pearl is transparent, has lost its white core, and begins to collapse, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain without rinsing and press the hot tapioca through a fine-mesh sieve. Measure exactly 6 tablespoons of the smooth paste. If it cools and becomes too firm to pass, rewarm it with a spoonful of hot water. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Cut the julienne

   Cut the cooked artichoke bottoms and mushroom caps julienne-fashion, into slender matchstick rods about 4 cm long and no thicker than 2 mm. Measure ¼ cup of each after cutting so the source proportions remain exact, then cover them separately. Keep their pale natural color; sautéing or browning would change both the character and clarity of this garnish.

4. 4

   Shape potato pellets

   Bring the remaining 8 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt to a lively simmer. Peel the violet potatoes and use a 13 mm melon baller or spoon-cutter to make 36 pellets the size of small hazelnuts, turning the cutter firmly so each pellet is rounded. Rinse them briefly, lower them into the water, and poach without a hard boil until a fine skewer enters with slight resistance, about 7 to 10 minutes. If their edges begin to feather, turn off the heat, add a cup of cold water, and drain them at once without stirring further. Ça se rattrape. Spread the pellets on a clean towel and keep them ready for immediate assembly.

5. 5

   Make the liaison

   Bring the main saucepan of consommé just to a bare simmer. Whisk about ½ cup of the reserved warm consommé into the strained tapioca until perfectly smooth, then pour this liaison, a light binding, through the clean sieve and into the saucepan while stirring gently. Hold it below a boil for 2 minutes. The broth should remain bright and fluid, with only a soft satin line on the spoon. If translucent knots appear, remove the pan from the heat and strain the consommé once more; if the body feels too heavy, loosen it with the remaining reserved consommé. Never boil it hard, which can dull the broth and roughen the liaison.

6. 6

   Dress the soupière

   Warm a 2½ to 3-quart soupière with hot water, then empty and dry it. Arrange the artichoke and mushroom julienne in the bottom, add the drained violet-potato pellets, and pour the bound chicken consommé over them. Scatter on the chervil pluches, the tender picked leaflets, and serve immediately so every bowl receives four or five potato pellets and a little of each julienne. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The consommé must be a genuinely finished, clarified chicken consommé, not ordinary stock poured through a sieve. This recipe begins where the classical entry begins, with that clear foundation already made, skimmed, and correctly seasoned.
• •Choose potatoes whose flesh is violet, not merely potatoes with purple skin and a white interior. A firm, waxy violet potato holds the spoon-cutter's shape and keeps the broth jewel-bright; a floury potato frays and clouds it.
• •Water-packed or frozen artichoke bottoms are the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh artichokes are poor. Avoid bottoms marinated in oil, vinegar, garlic, or herbs, since their seasoning would take over this restrained consommé.
• •Small pearl tapioca varies by brand. Trust its appearance rather than the packet clock: no white core, no chalkiness, and enough tenderness that it presses smoothly through the sieve.
• •Save the potato trimmings for purée or a potage. The perfect pellets require more potato than reaches the soupière, but nothing needs to be wasted.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the chicken consommé up to 3 days ahead, chill it quickly, and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Remove the set fat while it is cold, when it lifts away cleanly.
• •The tapioca can be poached, strained, and refrigerated for 1 day. It will set firmly in the cold, so loosen it gradually with warm consommé before adding it to the saucepan.
• •Cut the cooked artichoke bottoms and mushrooms up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerate them separately in covered containers. Bring them out while the consommé heats so they do not chill the finished soup.
• •Do not cook the potato pellets ahead. They may be shaped about 30 minutes before service and held under cold water, but poach and drain them only when the consommé is ready for its liaison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)