The Clarification of Game Consommés
The constituents of the clarification of game consommés vary according to the kind of consommé desired. If it is to have a partridge flavour, one partridge should be allowed for each quart of the consommé, whereas if its flavour is to be that of the pheasant, half an old pheasant will be required per each quart of the liquid. Lastly, in the case of plain game consommés, one lb. of lean venison, hare, or wild rabbit should be allowed for each quart of the required consommé.
Mode of Procedure.—Whatever be the kind of game used, the latter must be thoroughly boned and the meat well pounded, together with the white of an egg per four quarts of consommé. [8] ]About two oz. per quart of dried mushrooms should now be added if they can be procured, while the bones and the remains or carcases of game should be browned in the oven and completely drained of all grease. The whole can now be mixed with the cold game consommé. The clarification is then put over an open fire (stirring incessantly the while), and as soon as the boil is reached the saucepan must be moved to a corner of the fire, where its contents may gently boil for three-quarters of an hour. The fat should then be removed, and the consommé strained through muslin, after which cover up until wanted.
[6—SPECIAL CONSOMMÉS[!-- TN: acute invisible --] FOR SUPPERS]
The consommés whose formulæ I have just given are intended more particularly for dinners. They are always finished off by some kind of garnish, which, besides lending them an additional touch of flavour, gives them their special and definite character when they are served up in the diner’s plate.
But the case is otherwise with the consommés served for suppers. These, being only served in cups, either hot or cold, do not allow of any garnishing, since they are to be drunk at table. They must therefore be perfect in themselves, delicate, and quite clear.
These special consommés are made in a similar manner to the others, though it is needful to slightly increase the quantity of meat used for the clarification, and to add to that clarification the particular flavour mentioned on the menu—to wit, a few stalks of celery, if the consommé is a celery one; a small quantity of curry, if the consommé is given as “à l’Indienne”; or a few old roast partridges if it is to be termed “Consommé au [fumet] de perdreau”; and so on.
The means by which one may vary the aroma of consommés are legion, but it is highly important, what aroma soever be used, that the latter be not too pronounced. It ought only to lend a distinctive and, at the same time, subtle finish to the consommé, which, besides sharpening the latter, should increase its succulence.
When the consommé is served cold it ought to have the qualities of an extremely light and easily-melting jelly, barely firm; but when it is too liquid, it rarely gives that sensation of perfection and succulence to the palate of the consumer which the latter expects. When too firm and too gelatinous it is positively disagreeable; therefore, if it is to be relished, it should be just right in respect of consistency.
[9]
][7—BROWN STOCK OR “ESTOUFFADE”]
Quantities for making Four Quarts.
4 lbs. of shin of beef (flesh and bone).
4 lbs. of shin of veal (flesh and bone).
½ lb. of lean, raw ham.
½ lb. of fresh pork rind, rinsed in tepid water.
¾ lb. of minced carrots, browned in butter.
¾ lb. of minced onions, browned in butter.
1 faggot, containing a little parsley, a stick of celery, a small sprig of thyme, and a bay leaf.
Preparation.—Bone and string the meat, and keep it in readiness for the morrow. Break the bones as finely as possible, and, after having besprinkled them with a little stock-fat, brown them in an oven; also stir them repeatedly. When they are slightly browned, put them in a conveniently large saucepan with the carrots, the onions, and the faggot. Add five quarts of cold water, and put the saucepan on an open fire to boil. As soon as the boil is reached skim carefully; wipe the edge of the saucepan; put the lid half on, and allow the stock to cook gently for twelve hours; then roughly remove the fat; pass the liquid through a sieve, and let it cool.
This being done, put the meat in a saucepan just large enough to hold it. Brown it a little in some stock-fat, and clear it entirely of the latter. Add half a pint of the prepared stock, cover the saucepan, and let the meat simmer on the side of the fire until the stock is almost entirely reduced. Meanwhile the meat should have been repeatedly turned, that it may be equally affected throughout. Now pour the remainder of the stock, prepared from bones, into the saucepan, bring the whole to the boil, and then move the saucepan to a corner of the fire for the boiling to continue very slowly and regularly with the lid off. As soon as the meat is well cooked the fat should be removed from the stock, and the latter should be strained or rubbed through a sieve, after which it should be put aside to be used when required.
Remarks Relative to the Making of Brown Stock.—Instead of stringing the meat after having boned it, if time presses, it may be cut into large cubes before browning. In this case one hour and a half would suffice to cook it and to extract all its juice.
Whether brown or white, stock should never be salted, because it is never served in its original state. It is either reduced in order to make glazes or sauces—in which case the concentration answers the purpose of seasoning—or else it is [10] ]used to cook meat which must be salted before being cooked, and which, therefore, imparts the necessary salt to its surrounding liquor.
Brown stock ought to be the colour of fine burnt amber, and it must be transparent. It is used in making meat-glazes after reduction, also to moisten meat for braising and to prepare brown sauces.
[8—BROWN GAME STOCK]
There is no difference between the game consommés and game stock, or, otherwise stated, ordinary game consommé and brown game stock are one and the same thing. The distinction lies in the ultimate use of this preparation; it is clarified, as we have shown (Formula [5]), if it be intended for a clear soup, and it is used in its original state if it is to be used for a thick game soup, for a sauce, or for reducing.
[9—BROWN VEAL STOCK]
Brown veal stock requires the same quantities of shin and trimmings of veal as white veal stock (Formula [10]). The time allowed for cooking is, however, a little shorter, and this operation may be completed within eight hours. This stock is mostly used as the liquor for poultry and [poëled] game, while it may also serve in the preparation of thickened veal stock. Being quite neutral in taste, it lends itself to all purposes, and readily takes up the aroma of the meat with which it may happen to be combined. It is admirably suited to the poaching of quails, and nothing can supplant it in this particular.
[10—WHITE VEAL STOCK, AND POULTRY STOCK]
Quantities for making Four Quarts.
8 lbs. of shin of veal, or lean and fresh veal trimmings.
1 or 2 fowls’ carcases, raw if they are handy.
12 oz. of carrots.
6 oz. of onions stuck with a clove.
5½ quarts of cold water.
4 oz. of leeks strung with a stick of celery.
1 faggot, including 1 oz. of parsley, 1 bay leaf, and a small sprig of thyme.
Preparation.—Bone the shins, string the meat, break up the bones as small as possible, and put them in a stewpan with the water. Place on an open fire, allow to boil, skim carefully, and then move to a side of the fire to cook very gently for [11] ]five hours. At the end of this time put the stock into another stewpan, add the meat and the vegetables, add water, if necessary, to keep the quantity of liquid at five quarts, let it boil, and allow it to cook slowly for another three hours, after which remove all grease from the stock, pass the latter through a fine strainer or a colander, and put it aside until wanted.
Remarks upon White Stock.—One should contrive to make this stock as gelatinous as possible. It is therefore an indispensable measure that the bones be well broken up and cooked for at least eight hours. Veal never yields such clear stock as beef; nevertheless, the consommé obtained from veal should not be turbid. It must, on the contrary, be kept as clear and as white as possible.
Poultry Stock is made by adding two old fowls to the above veal stock, and these should be put into the liquor with the meat.