Consomme or Plain Meat
Ingredients
Directions
Make the broth
Place the beef and broken bones in a large pot.
Add the cold water and bring to a slow boil on low heat.
Simmer for 3 to 4 hours until the liquid reduces by half.
Stir in the salt.
Strain and finish
Strain the mixture into a covered earthenware dish to cool.
Once cooled, remove the fat from the top before using.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Beef
- Provides meat flavor and dissolved proteins that give the broth body as it simmers.
- Broken bones
- Release gelatin and minerals during long simmering, adding body and richness to the liquid.
- Cold water
- Acts as the cooking medium, extracting flavor from the beef and bones as it slowly heats.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the broth and brings out its savory flavor.
The step that matters
Keeping the simmer slow. A rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and greasy because fat and proteins get emulsified into the liquid. A gentle simmer keeps the consommé clear and easier to skim.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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