Beef Consommé

 

We had this lovely beef consommé as our first course for our Valentine's Friend Dinner.  A rich, beefy broth was a perfect start to our meal.  

Consommé comes from the French term for concentrated.  That aptly describes the concentrated flavor that's obtained from simmering beef with vegetables and seasonings.  

You can serve this "as is" like I did or you can use this condensed version of beef stock to up the flavor for beef dishes, soups or stews.

5 quarts beef stock cold

1 pound lean ground beef of veal or finely chopped beef or veal

¾ cup egg whites about 5 eggs

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced fresh tomato

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced carrot

2 bay leaves

½ t. dried thyme2 t. salt

Place the beef stock in the refrigerator while you are prepping the vegetables. Finely dice the onions, tomatoes, celery, and carrots.

Set a 6 to 8-quart tall soup pot on the stovetop. (Leave the heat off.) Add in the ground meat, mirepoix (diced vegetables), egg whites, bay leaves, dried thyme, and salt.

Stir to combine until the egg whites are mixed throughout all the meat and vegetables. Then gently pour the beef stock into the pot. Stir well.

Turn the heat on medium-low. Continue to stir the mixture for several minutes until the liquid is hot and the consommé is about to boil. Then STOP stirring, and do not stir the pot again. Keep the consommé at a low simmer and continue to simmer for 90-100 minutes. The egg and meat mixture will rise to the top and create a “raft” that collects debris and helps to clarify the consommé. Try not to disturb the raft. Sometimes it will stay in one whole circular piece, but sometimes it will break into several larger pieces. Just leave it alone and allow it to flavor and filter the consommé as it simmers.

Once the consommé has simmered for at least 90 minutes, place a piece of cheese cloth in a large mesh strainer. Carefully pour the consommé into the strainer to remove the raft and any other pieces that have loosened as it simmered.

Once the consommé has cooled, pour into jars and store. If you plan to freeze the consommé for later use, make sure to leave 1-inch of air space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion in the freezer.

Thanks to www.aspicyperspective.com for the recipe!