How To Make Consomme

Complete Article & Recipe: stellaculinary.com/podcasts/video/how-to-make-c…

Consommé...the old school Frenchy soup with crystal clarity and robust flavors that dwells in the nightmares of culinary school students around the world. While feared and loathed for it's finicky nature by young cooks, consommé really isn't that scary once you understand the basic concepts behind making it, and how a clarification raft works.

But before we get into the consommé making process, we first need a little perspective.

Flavor, Stocks, & Broths

As I discussed extensively in the comment section of my braised beef short rib video, making stock at home is important for specific cooking applications due to the gelatin content extracted from bones; something that most commercially available stocks lack. Without gelatin you'll have a tough time making a full pan reduction sauce or glazing braised meat.

This is why traditional stocks are made with collagen rich bones like knuckles, necks and backs. When moisture and heat are applied, the collagen breaks down, yielding the gelatin needed for so many professional level applications.

However, while bones contain a lot of collagen, they're short on flavor. This is generally acceptable though since most stocks are reduced and reinforced before final use, to add flavor and increase gelatin concentration. Yet for a truly flavorful stock, you need...

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