Consommé Grimaldi

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8 L) heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Unscented fine linen or triple-layer cheesecloth
• •Four 2-ounce (60 ml) Dariole-moulds or one shallow 1-cup (240 ml) ramekin
• •Small roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Fine skimmer
• •Fat separator or clean absorbent kitchen paper
• •Soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the royale

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Brush four 2-ounce (60 ml) Dariole-moulds or one shallow 1-cup (240 ml) ramekin with the thinnest film of butter. Beat the whole eggs and yolks gently, without making foam, then stir in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cold ordinary consommé and a small pinch of salt. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into the moulds. Set them in a small roasting pan, add hot water halfway up their sides to make a bain-marie, a gentle water bath, and cover loosely with parchment. Bake until the royale is just set, still tender at its center, and reaches 160°F (71°C), about 18 to 25 minutes. Bubbling water makes a honeycombed custard, so keep the bain-marie calm. Cool, cover, and chill until firm enough to cut.

2. 2

   Raise the tomato raft

   Measure 8 cups (1.9 L) of the remaining cold ordinary consommé into a clean 4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan, keeping the final 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold in reserve. Loosen four egg whites with a whisk, mix in the strained raw tomato purée, and stir this into the consommé. Set the pan over medium-low heat and scrape the bottom slowly with a wooden spoon as the whites gather, preventing them from catching. Once the proteins rise into a raft and cover the surface, stop stirring completely. Open a small vent in the raft and hold the liquid at the barest tremble for 25 minutes, ladling a little liquid through the vent from time to time. Never let it boil hard. If the raft breaks and the consommé clouds, remove it from the heat and cool it until lukewarm. Ça se rattrape: whisk the two reserved whites with the cold reserved consommé, stir them into the cloudy liquid, and repeat the slow clarification.

   The raft is a filter, not something to churn through the liquid. Once it forms, stirring tears the filter apart and sends its captured particles back into the consommé.
3. 3

   Strain without pressing

   Line a fine-mesh sieve with damp, unscented fine linen or three layers of rinsed cheesecloth and set it over a clean saucepan. Ladle the consommé through the vent and into the lined sieve, working gently. Do not pour the raft into the cloth and never press it, because either action forces cloudy particles through. The strained consommé should be transparent and rose-amber. Taste before adding salt, since clarification concentrates an already seasoned foundation. Hold it covered over very low heat.

4. 4

   Stew the celery

   Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the pale celery julienne and a tiny pinch of salt, cover, and stew for 5 minutes without letting it color. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of the tomato consommé and simmer gently until the celery is tender but still holds its matchstick shape, about 6 to 8 minutes. Lift out the celery with a fine skimmer. Pass its cooking liquid through a fat separator, or briefly draw clean absorbent kitchen paper across the surface, then return the completely degreased liquid to the main consommé. If the butter browns, lift out the celery, wipe the pan, and continue in clean consommé; browned butter would stain both flavor and clarity.

5. 5

   Cut the royale

   Unmould the chilled royale onto a board and blot away any trace of butter. With a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean, cut it into large dice about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) across. Work with a light hand so the edges remain neat. Warm a soup tureen with hot water, dry it thoroughly, and arrange the royale dice and celery julienne across its bottom.

6. 6

   Pour and serve

   Bring the tomato consommé to one brief, full boil and skim away anything that rises. Pour it immediately over the royale and celery in the warmed tureen. Do not simmer the garnishes afterward, or the royale toughens and its edges begin to feather into the clear liquid. Ladle into warm soup plates while every dice remains visible through the consommé. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ordinary consommé is the foundation, and clarification can only polish what is already there. Begin with a deeply flavored, lightly salted beef consommé that tastes complete while cold; a thin broth will remain thin, however beautifully you clarify it.
• •The source calls for raw tomato purée. Ripe plum tomatoes give the clearest coral tint when puréed and strained through damp linen. Out of season, well-drained canned whole tomatoes are the honest pantry choice, though they give a slightly deeper color and rounder flavor.
• •Dariole-moulds are small baba-shaped moulds. Four 2-ounce ramekins preserve the book's doubled quantity, while one shallow ramekin gives the same custard with less equipment. The shape changes, not the royale.
• •The celery must stew in real butter, then surrender every visible trace of that butter before service. Flavor stays; surface grease does not. We don't apologize for butter, but consommé must remain immaculate.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarify the tomato consommé up to two days ahead. Chill it promptly, lift away any set surface fat, and reheat it gently in a clean saucepan without disturbing sediment from the bottom.
• •The royale can be baked and chilled a day ahead. Keep it covered and uncut so its surface does not dry, then dice it shortly before service.
• •The celery may be stewed several hours ahead and refrigerated separately from its degreased cooking liquid. Warm both gently before assembling the tureen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)