This stock is comparatively rarely used, because, in practice, it is naturally obtained in the cooking of the fish itself, as, for instance, in the case of the “Matelotes.” Be this as it may, with the recent incursion of a custom which seems to demand, ever more and more, the serving of fish without bones, the following formula will be worthy of interest, as it is likely that its need will henceforth be felt with increasing urgency.
Fish [fumet] with red wine may be prepared from all fresh-water fish, as well as from the remains of sole, whiting, chicken-turbot, and brill. It is generally better, however, to have recourse to the bones and remains of that fish which happens to be constituting the dish—that is to say, the bones and trimmings of sole in a stock for fillet of sole, the bones and trimmings of a chicken-turbot in a [fumet] for a chicken-turbot, and so on. The preparatory formula remains the same, whatever the kind of fish used may be.
Quantities for making Four Quarts of [Fumet] with Red Wine.—Four lbs. of bones, heads, and trimmings of the fish to be served; three-quarters lb. of minced white onions; three oz. of parsley stalks, two bay leaves, four small sprigs of thyme, and four cloves of garlic; two bottles of red wine and four pints of water.
Mode of Procedure.—Put all the above-mentioned ingredients in a thick and tall stewpan, boil, skim carefully, and allow to cook twenty to thirty minutes on a moderate fire; then strain the stock through a colander into a tureen, to be used when required.
Remarks upon Fish Stock with Red Wine.—This stock stands reduction far better than white fish stock. Nevertheless, I urge the advisability of trying to obtain the required quantity without reduction. In its preparation, one may use some mushroom parings, as in the case of white stock, if these are handy, and they will be found to lend an agreeable flavour to the fish [fumet].
[13]
][13—VARIOUS ESSENCES]
As their name implies, essences are stock which hold a large proportion of a substance’s aroma in a concentrated form. They are, in fact, ordinary stock, only less diluted, with the idea of intensifying the flavour of the treated ingredients; hence their utility is nil if the stock which they are intended to finish has been reasonably and judiciously treated. It is infinitely simpler to make savoury and succulent stock in the first place than to produce a mediocre stock, and finally complete it by a specially prepared essence. The result in the first instance is better, and there is economy of time and material.
The most one can do is to recommend, in certain circumstances, the use of essences extracted from particularly well-flavoured products, as, for instance, mushrooms, truffles, morels, and celery. But it would be well to remember that, nine times out of ten, it is preferable to add the product itself to the stock during the preparation of the same than to prepare essences.
For this reason I do not think it necessary to dilate upon the subject of essences, the need of which should not be felt in good cooking.