French Consommé Recipe

Consommé is a type of clear and strong meat-flavored broth from France, made by simmering meat, vegetables, and aromatics in a broth which is boiled, and clarified until it becomes transparent. The dish is often served as a starter or first course in restaurants or at formal dinners.  

Origin and Cultural Significance

Consommé is a staple part of French cuisine and has been eaten all over the country since the Middle Ages. The dish takes a lot of skill and patience to get right, and is something that chef’s from all over the world learn to make when training to become a chef.

Consommé is notoriously difficult to make – even among chefs. 

The dish is served as a soup, and occasionally has other light ingredients such as egg whites or vegetables added to the dish. Consommé is also used as a base for a wide range of dishes, particularly soups like French onion soup.

You can also find jellied or chilled versions of the broth, which is made by adding gelatin to the Consommé. 

Typically consommé is eaten in restaurants as a starter or first course, but its not uncommon to find it in households up and down the country. 

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French Consommé Recipe

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Consommé is a type of clear and strong meat-flavored broth from France. The dish is made by simmering meat, vegetables, and aromatics in a broth which is boiled, and clarified until it becomes transparent.

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Ingredients

• Lean ground beef - 1 lb
• Egg whites - 4
• Carrot (chopped) - 1
• Celery (chopped) - 1 stalk
• Leek (chopped) - 1
• Onion (chopped) - 1
• Tomato (chopped) - 1
• Bay leaf - 1
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
• Beef stock - 8 cups
• Salt - to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, combine ground beef, egg whites, carrot, celery, leek, onion, tomato, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns.
2. Pour in the beef stock and stir to combine.
3. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until it comes to a simmer.
4. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for about 1 hour, without stirring.
5. Strain the consommé through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove the solids and clarify the broth.
6. Season with salt to taste.
7. Serve hot, garnished with a sprig of thyme or a slice of carrot if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 846mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 31g

Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.