INGREDIENTS PREVIOUSLY MADE
2 qt chicken broth, (see other recipe)
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
1 each egg white, beaten to a froth
1 each eggshell, crushed; from above egg.
Directions
For chicken consomme' the broth must be absolutely fat-free and
clear. Put the previously made Double Chicken Broth (see other
recipe) back into an 4 quart pan and boil slowly until it has reduced
to one half or one third its original volume. To remove any lingering
traces of fat, strain into a 2-1/2 quart pan through a sieve lined
with cheesecloth or a linen towel. To clarify the stock, add 1 egg
white, beaten to a froth, and 1 crushed eggshell. Over medium heat,
beat well with a rotary beater or a wire whisk until the stock comes
to a boil and the egg white rises to the surface (it will have
gathered together any impurities in the soup that would cloud it).
Stop stirring, remove pan from the heat, and let it stand for 5
minutes, to settle. Then, without agitating the stock, strain it
through a sieve or colander lined with several thicknesses of damp
cheesecloth, or a linen towel that you have wrung out in cold water.
This traps the impurities in the egg white and any vestige of fat
that might remain is chilled by the damp cloth. The liquid should
just drip through into the bowl beneath it. Don't attempt to hurry
the process or you won't get a perfectly clear consomme'. When it has
all dripped through, pour into plastic containers, cool, and then
freeze.
Servings: 2 quarts
Chicken Consomme' Soup By James Beard~ Chef Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chicken; Chicken Soup; Poultry; Soup
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of meal recipes far back into the distant past, certainly as far back into recorded history as ancient Egypt, and potentially, even further back. In practice though, generally, these old recipes were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to historians are some ancient tablets in Sumerian which recount the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later, there were a couple of recipe books which appeared in the fourteenth century - one book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these two books are nothing to do with the indian food that is served today, but rather accounts of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and wealthy people of the time. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and herbs from the holy lands, including spices like coriander, basil and rosemary. These new culinary innovations created a surge in recipe publications, the majority of which still exist in private cookery archives. For the decades that followed, the upper classes competed to serve the most exotic meals, and consequentially the best chefs and their recipes were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that haute cuisine and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to collecting, verifying, and publishing the recipes of their peers. The arrival of television gave us TV cooks and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to search through thousands of recipes such as those found on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chicken Consomme' Soup By James Beard~ Chef recipe.
