It’s taken me a while, I’ve ordered it in
restaurants time and time again, it’s my sort of beauty.
To me, consommé represents the taste
without the richness and to achieve that goal in a home kitchen for whatever
reason completely had me gob smacked. I
will admit I had, in fact, never tried it until very recently.
So…. I love gorgeous stocks, I
go weak at the knees when faced with a beautifully balanced sauce of my own
making and to present a clear (crystal clear I might add) consommé … it’s
basics I know but I hadn’t even tried.
All it takes (this is my version
I might add) is a very serious stock, left in the fridge to set, strain off the fat layer, aromatics and spices then boil, adding a egg white. Strain again with a fine scrupulously clean
cloth and viola!
For this dish I had slow cooked beef
short ribs. My previous version was similar with lamb shank. Both times the consommé, meat and end result were sublime. There is a slight balancing act to be
accomplished in the final moments (salt, sweet, acidity, the usual and invariably relies on good sherry vinegar and pernod). By gosh I
love consommé. Always have and always will. To know I
can knock one out any old time makes me a very happy woman indeed.
Any 'bits' in the clear liquor from the photo are a fallout from the beef itself and ... (note to self) - served with soft cooked leek, cherry tomatoes skin off and tomato skin crisply cooked, a little reduced until sticky stock mixed in with the beef as a separate seasoning. Divine. Utterly DIVINE.
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