Consommé Lorette

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart saucepan for the consommé
• •Small saucepan with lid for the celery
• •Small saucepan and instant-read thermometer for poaching
• •2-quart heavy saucepan and frying thermometer
• •Fine-mesh strainer with muslin or paper coffee filter
• •Slotted spoon and wire draining rack
• •2-quart warmed soup tureen

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the garnishes

   Remove every trace of set fat from the cold consommé, then measure it into a 3-quart saucepan. Cut the celery into slender julienne no thicker than a matchstick and about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) long; cut the pimento to match, drain it well, and pick the chervil into small pluches. Precision matters here because all three garnishes must sit lightly on the spoon rather than tangling like salad.

   A cold consommé gives up its surface fat cleanly. Warm it first and that fat melts back into the broth, where it dulls the brilliant finish.
2. 2

   Étuvez the celery

   Étuver means to stew gently in butter without taking colour. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the celery, cover, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring once, until glossy but still pale. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of the measured consommé and simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until the julienne is tender but retains its shape. If the butter begins to brown, move the celery immediately to a clean pan and continue with the consommé; the celery is saved, and browned milk solids stay out of the clear soup.

3. 3

   Poach the kidneys

   Bring the water and salt to a bare simmer in a small saucepan. Lower in the cleaned cocks' kidneys and poach for 4 to 5 minutes, until just firm, opaque at the centre, and at least 165°F (74°C). If using halved chicken hearts, allow 7 to 9 minutes. Drain well and hold them covered for no longer than 10 minutes. A hard boil makes either garnish rubbery; if the hearts tighten, slice them into thinner pieces across the grain. Their first tenderness won't return, but the spoonful will still eat pleasantly.

4. 4

   Heat the consommé

   Lift the celery from its cooking liquor with a slotted spoon and reserve it for the tureen. Strain the liquor into the remaining consommé, then heat the broth gently, skimming away any fat or froth that rises. Warm the soup tureen and eight soup plates with hot water. Just before service, bring the consommé to one clean, decisive boil without whisking or letting it churn. If specks rise or the broth clouds, stop the heat, let it stand for 2 minutes, and ladle it through damp muslin or a damp paper coffee filter without pressing. Ça se rattrape. Return it to the boil only once.

5. 5

   Fry the Lorette

   Heat the frying oil in a small, deep, heavy saucepan to 350°F (180°C). Exactly 4 minutes before service, lower in the Pommes de Terre Lorette (No. 2226), working in two batches if the pan is narrow, and fry until evenly golden, crisp outside, and buoyant in the fat. Keep the oil between 340°F and 350°F (170°C and 180°C). Drain the crescents uncovered on a rack or absorbent paper; covering them traps moisture and undoes the crust. If one splits, remove the crumbs, restore the oil to temperature, dry the remaining crescents, and continue with a smaller batch.

6. 6

   Assemble and serve

   Empty and dry the warmed tureen. Add the buttered celery, freshly poached kidneys or heart pieces, and pimento julienne, distributing them evenly. Pour the boiling consommé over the garnish, scatter in the chervil pluches, and carry the tureen straight to the table. Pass the fried crescents separately, allowing three per serving. Never drop them into the broth: separate service is not ceremony for its own sake, it protects the crisp contrast that makes this Consommé Lorette. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This entry begins with finished chicken consommé and Pommes de Terre Lorette (No. 2226) already prepared through shaping. Their separate formulas are mise en place, not hidden time; the consommé must be brilliantly clear, and the potato preparation must be cold and firm before frying.
• •Cocks' kidneys is the old culinary name for rooster testicles, not the anatomical kidneys attached to the bird's back. Ask a specialist poultry butcher well in advance. Small chicken hearts are firmer but give the closest practical poultry-offal garnish for a home kitchen; halving twelve hearts preserves the original twenty-four-piece proportion.
• •A good jarred whole pimento is the honest choice outside its season. Drain it, pat it dry, and cut it finely. A wet or ragged pimento bleeds red liquid into the broth and makes the garnish look careless.
• •Serve modest first-course portions, about 1 cup (240 ml) each, with three fried crescents passed alongside. A dry Champagne suits the clear broth and rich potato without bullying either one.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the chicken consommé up to 3 days ahead. Cool it quickly in shallow containers, refrigerate it below 40°F (4°C), and lift away the hardened fat before reheating.
• •Prepare the Pommes de Terre Lorette (No. 2226) through shaping earlier on the day of service. Arrange the crescents on parchment without touching, cover once firm, and refrigerate until the frying oil is ready.
• •The celery and pimento julienne may be cut up to 6 hours ahead and refrigerated separately. Wrap the chervil in a barely damp towel. Clean the cocks' kidneys or hearts earlier the same day, but poach them only shortly before service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 285g)