Reputed to be a royal pain to make, involving culinary skill gleaned only in the finest kitchens of the finest restaurants, Consommé is the reserve of gastronomes and the rich.
But, it's just stock ...
No, really ... it's just stock.
Sure, it's clarified and elevated to some lofty height, as is all French cuisine, but it's still just stock.
Wanna know how? It ain't that fancy, either ...
So, quick cruise through the supermarket while picking up some cider and I happened upon four decent salmon fillets for £1.89! They're at their "sell by" date, but by no means past their best and at under half price, it was in my basket like a flash!
They'll do for lunches next week.
Home, simply drop the fillets into sufficient water to cover, add a little bouillon in (just buy it powdered and leave all the heavy techniques to those French Chefs, eh? Check the ingredients, mind) and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes.
That's the fillets done. Remove from the liquor, let them cool, cover and place in the fridge until required. They're fine like that for a couple of days.
We have the liquor left ...
Easy enough just to add some veggies and serve as soup. Very good, very flavoursome, very micronutritious!
Better, and so easy, simply sieve the large bits out then pass the liquor through a sieve with a piece of kitchen towel. Pass it again through two sheets and again if you want it really clear.
There you have it: Consommé! No complex, faffy processes ... just Consommé, done well enough.
To serve, you're supposed to pour it really gently over a bowl of perfectly cooked bits and pieces - mushrooms is a popular choice, and if I'd had the foresight to pick up a box of exotic mushrooms, this would have been especially spectacular ... but I didn't, so a bowl of simple Consommé it is.
Naturally, you can do the same thing for bone broths or any boiled, or poached meats.
Voilà! C'est tout.
