Consommé Renaissance

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 3-ounce Dariole-moulds or straight-sided ramekins
• •8 to 10 mm fluted Parisienne scoop or small melon baller
• •¾ to 1-inch fluted leaf or aspic cutter
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Small blender
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Slotted spoon
• •2-quart soup tureen or eight shallow soup bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the velouté

   Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over gentle heat. Stir in the flour and cook this roux for 2 minutes without letting it colour; it should smell softly of biscuit, never raw flour. Whisk in the light chicken stock a little at a time, then simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until the velouté is smooth and thick enough to hold a deep trail from the spoon. Scrape it into a bowl and let it cool until merely lukewarm.

2. 2

   Purée the herbs

   Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to a boil and prepare a bowl of iced water. Drop in the parsley, chervil leaves, and tarragon for 10 seconds, just until they collapse and turn vivid green, then lift them straight into the iced water. Drain and squeeze them very dry. Blend the herbs with one-third of the velouté until perfectly smooth, then mix this green purée into the remaining velouté. If the purée looks fibrous, press it through a fine sieve; the royale should cut like satin, not show stems.

3. 3

   Set the royale

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Use the remaining tablespoon of butter to coat four 3-ounce ramekins, the home equivalent of Dariole-moulds. Beat the whole eggs only until combined, without whipping in air, then stir them into the cooled herb velouté with ¼ teaspoon of the measured salt and the white pepper. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, divide it among the ramekins, and cover each loosely with foil. Set them in a roasting pan and add hot water to come halfway up their sides. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are set and the centres give a gentle wobble. If the royale begins to puff or show bubbles, pull out the pan, add a little cool water to the bain-marie, and lower the oven slightly. Ça se rattrape, provided the centre remains supple. Cool, then chill until firm.

4. 4

   Cut the vegetables

   With an 8 to 10 mm fluted melon baller, cut exactly 2 tablespoons of pellets from the white turnip and 2 tablespoons from the deep red-orange outer flesh of the carrot, avoiding the pale woody core. Cut the French beans on a sharp diagonal into small lozenges and measure 2 tablespoons. Measure 2 tablespoons of asparagus heads, 2 tablespoons of peas, and count 24 tiny cauliflower florets. Uniform size is not decoration alone; it lets each measured garnish cook evenly.

5. 5

   Cook each garnish

   Return the blanching water to a lively boil and keep the iced water ready. Cook each vegetable separately, lifting every batch into the ice as soon as it is tender: turnip pellets for 2 to 3 minutes, cauliflower for about 90 seconds, carrot pellets for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, bean lozenges for about 90 seconds, asparagus heads for 60 to 90 seconds, and peas for 30 to 45 seconds. Taste one piece from every batch; the times are guides, the vegetable decides. If a green batch turns soft or olive, replace that small measured portion and cook it again. Ça se rattrape. Drain everything separately on a clean towel until completely dry.

6. 6

   Cut royale leaves

   Run a thin knife around each cold royale and unmould it onto a board. Slice it about ¼ inch thick, then cut small leaves with a fluted aspic cutter. A sharp paring knife can make simple pointed leaves if no cutter is available. Work while the royale is cold; if it bends or tears, return it to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before continuing. Keep the finished leaves covered and chilled.

7. 7

   Heat the consommé

   Pour the clear chicken consommé into a spotless saucepan and warm it gently, skimming away any beads of fat. Taste it hot and correct the salt sparingly; a cold broth that seems seasoned can taste flat at serving temperature. If a veil of sediment appears, let the consommé stand for 5 minutes, then pour it carefully through damp cheesecloth without disturbing what settled. Bring it to a clean boil only when the tureen is ready, and do not whisk or simmer the garnish in it.

8. 8

   Fill the tureen

   Warm a soup tureen or eight shallow soup bowls with hot water, then dry them thoroughly. Arrange the royale leaves, carrot and turnip pellets, peas, bean lozenges, asparagus heads, and cauliflower evenly inside. Pour the boiling consommé over the garnish at once and finish with the chervil Pluches. Carry it directly to the table while the broth is brilliant and every green still looks alive. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The consommé is the foundation, so begin with one that is genuinely clear and tastes deeply of chicken. Make it ahead and chill it; the fat then lifts away cleanly, and the final heating becomes calm work rather than a last-minute clarification.
• •A fluted Parisienne scoop gives the carrot and turnip their classical grooved surface. The smallest plain melon baller is an honest substitute, and a careful paring knife can cut tiny cubes, though the finished geometry will change.
• •Frozen peas picked young are better than tired fresh ones and need no apology. The asparagus, French beans, and cauliflower must still be crisp and sweet; if those are poor, this spring composition has lost its point.
• •Save the carrot core, turnip trimmings, asparagus stalks, and cauliflower stem for another stockpot. Precision at the table needn't mean waste at the cutting board.
• •Serve the consommé before a roast or poached fish, with a dry Champagne or a restrained white Burgundy. Keep the portions modest because its refinement comes from concentration, not volume.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and clarify the chicken consommé up to 3 days ahead, chill it promptly, and keep it covered. It may also be frozen for up to 2 months, then thawed slowly without stirring up any sediment.
• •The herb royale can be set, chilled, and cut into leaves 1 day ahead. Store the leaves in a single layer between sheets of lightly dampened parchment so their edges remain supple.
• •The vegetables may be cut and blanched up to 6 hours ahead. Drain them very well, keep each kind separate and chilled, then let them lose their refrigerator chill before assembling the tureen.
• •Do not assemble the soup ahead. The consommé must meet the garnish only at service, or the vegetables surrender their colour and the broth loses its immaculate clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)