A Good Flavouring for Gravies and Soups
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the bacon
Soak the bacon overnight in cold water, or for a few hours if it is very fresh.
Remove all discolored fat and clean the rind thoroughly.
Simmer
Place the bacon in a pot with cold water and bring to a gentle boil. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Boil gently for about 1 hour or until the rind comes off easily.
Finish
Remove the skin and cover the top of the bacon with grated crust of bread.
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
- Bacon
- Supplies fat and savory meat flavor that carries into the gravy or soup.
- Grated crust of bread
- Sprinkled over the bacon top, it adds toasted, starchy flavor and helps thicken the liquid.
The step that matters
Skim off scum as the water comes to a boil. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities rising from the meat. Removing it early keeps the liquid clearer and cleaner in flavor, so the gravy or soup tastes less muddy.
“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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