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Soup

Stock', and Clear Soups

A caramelized sugar syrup used to add a golden brown tint to clear soups.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Stock', and Clear Soups

Ingredients

Directions

Make the caramel

  1. Put the sugar into a copper or earthenware pan.

  2. Set it over low heat and stir until melted.

  3. Simmer for 15 minutes until it reaches the desired brown tint.

Make the stock

  1. Add the water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

  2. Skim the mixture, let it cool, strain, and bottle it for use.

Use

  1. Add a little of this caramel to your soup before the three hours of simmering if a golden brown tint is desired.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

White sugar
Caramelises to give the stock its brown colour and a mild sweet, toasted flavour.

The step that matters

Melting and browning the sugar. Sugar darkens quickly once it passes amber, and over-browned caramel turns bitter and cannot be undone. Low heat and steady stirring let it melt evenly and reach the desired tint before it burns.

“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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