Consommé Messaline

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart wide heavy saucepan
• •8-quart tall stockpot
• •Fine-mesh chinois or sieve
• •Washed cheesecloth
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Rimmed broiler tray
• •2-quart soupière

Instructions

1. 1

   Reduce the tomato essence

   Pour the strained tomato juice into a wide, heavy saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer. Skim any froth, then reduce slowly to exactly 1 cup (240 ml / about 250 g), stirring more frequently as it thickens, until it is glossy, lightly syrupy, and still pourable, about 60 to 90 minutes. If it catches on the bottom, do not scrape: pour the clean upper portion into another pan and continue over gentler heat. Burnt sediment cannot be clarified away. Cool the tomato essence completely.

   A broad saucepan encourages evaporation without forcing the tomato sugars against fierce heat. Near the end, stay beside it; the distance from essence to scorched paste is only a few inattentive minutes.
2. 2

   Poach the cocks’ combs

   If the butcher supplied cleaned and skinned cocks’ combs, rinse them and proceed directly to the poach. Otherwise, blanch them in simmering water for 2 minutes, cool only until they can be handled, then rub away the waxy outer skin with a clean towel and lift stubborn patches with a small knife. If the skin clings, return the combs to the water for another minute; ça se rattrape. Cover the cleaned combs with fresh lightly salted water and poach at the barest simmer, about 180 to 190°F (82 to 88°C), for 45 to 60 minutes, until tender and cooked through to at least 165°F (74°C). Keep them covered in a little poaching liquid.

3. 3

   Prepare pepper and rice

   Set the Spanish capsicum directly beneath the home broiler, turning until its skin is blackened on every side. Cover it in a bowl for 10 minutes, then slip off the skin, remove the seeds, and pat the flesh dry. Cut it julienne, into fine matchstick rods, and measure exactly 4 tablespoons (60 ml / about 40 g). Poach the rice separately in abundant lightly salted water until tender but every grain remains distinct, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain it at once, spread it on a plate, and measure 4 tablespoons (60 ml / about 45 g). If the grains begin splitting, drain immediately and rinse briefly with hot water; they will finish warming in the consommé.

4. 4

   Build the cold raft

   Put the ground chicken and 4 egg whites into a tall 8-quart pot and mix them into a loose paste. Whisk in the completely cooled tomato essence, followed gradually by the cold chicken stock. This clarifying raft, the protein cap that will trap fat and cloudy particles, must begin cold so its proteins disperse through the liquid before they set.

5. 5

   Clarify without boiling

   Set the pot over medium-low heat and stir slowly but continuously across the bottom until the liquid approaches 160°F (71°C) and the solids begin rising, about 12 to 18 minutes. Stop stirring as soon as a firm raft forms. Open a 2-inch hole near its edge and hold the consommé at the barest tremble for 35 to 40 minutes, occasionally ladling liquid through this chimney. Never let it boil. If it does and the raft breaks, strain off the liquid, cool it quickly until cold, whisk the 2 reserved whites with 1/2 cup of the cooled broth, and repeat the clarification gently. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Strain without pressing

   Line a fine-mesh chinois or sieve with thoroughly rinsed, damp cheesecloth and set it over a clean saucepan. Open the raft gently at one edge and ladle the consommé through without tipping the pot or pressing the solids. Pressure drives trapped impurities back into the broth. If the first ladleful is hazy, pass it through a fresh damp cloth once more. Blot away any beads of surface fat with a strip of clean paper, then season carefully with salt.

7. 7

   Assemble and serve

   Transfer 1 cup of the clarified consommé to a small pan and poach the red pepper julienne in it for 2 minutes, as the source requires for fresh capsicum. Warm the cocks’ combs in their poaching liquid and drain them well. Rinse a 2-quart soupière with very hot water, empty it, then arrange the 24 cocks’ combs, 4 tablespoons of pepper julienne, and 4 tablespoons of poached rice inside. Bring the remaining consommé to a clean full boil and pour it directly over the garnish. Serve immediately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The stock carries everything, so taste it cold before beginning. It should taste distinctly of chicken and feel lightly gelatinous from the refrigerator, but it must not be heavily salted because the tomato essence concentrates with it.
• •Out of tomato season, use an honest canned pure tomato juice with no herbs or sugar. A pale winter tomato gives weak water and asks you to reduce it until it tastes cooked rather than vivid.
• •Order fresh cocks’ combs from a poultry butcher and ask for them cleaned and skinned. There is no invisible substitution here: mushrooms or chopped chicken may make a pleasant consommé garnish, but they do not make Consommé Messaline.
• •Serve this as a small first course, not a great bowlful. A dry Champagne has enough freshness for the tomato and enough breadth for the chicken broth without trampling the delicate garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomato essence may be reduced up to 3 days ahead, cooled quickly, and refrigerated in a covered container.
• •Clarify the consommé up to 2 days ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, refrigerate it covered, and remove any set fat before reheating.
• •The capsicum may be grilled, peeled, and cut several hours ahead. Cook the rice the same day and keep it covered separately so the grains do not dry out.
• •Keep faith with the source by poaching the cocks’ combs on the day of service. Hold them in a little poaching liquid, then warm and drain them just before they enter the soupière.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)