To Clear Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the clearing mixture
Whisk the egg whites with the water in a bowl.
Gradually add the mixture to the warmed stock while continuing to whisk.
Heat and clarify
Place the soup on the fire.
Bring it to a boil, skimming off any foam.
Stir well, then move the pot to the side of the fire and let it settle until the egg whites separate.
Pass the soup through a fine cloth to achieve clarity.
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
- Egg whites
- As they heat, they set and trap fine particles, clarifying the stock.
- Stock
- Forms the main liquid and carries the savory flavor of the soup.
The step that matters
Gradually add the mixture to the warmed stock while continuing to whisk. Constant whisking spreads the egg white evenly through the stock. If it is added in one lump or whisking stops, the whites can clump and cook into pieces instead of forming a clarifying raft that traps impurities.
“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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