Consommé in cooking, is a type of clear soup made from richly flavored stock, or bouillon that has been clarified, a process which uses egg whites to remove fat and sediment.
Can Broth be used to make a Consommé?
Stock is more intense than broth, having been cooked slowly to extract as much flavor as possible from meat or fish bones and aromatics. A stock is used as an ingredient in other dishes, such as soups, stews, and sauces, rather than served alone. Consommé is a clear liquid that results from clarifying homemade stock.
I didn’t have a homemade stock on hand for this recipe, nor did I clarify it. I used College Inn Beef Stock or any brand (low sodium) and reduced by keeping temp at a fast simmer before adding the mushrooms.
I first made consommé when working at M.W. Wood. It’s a simple, very flavorful broth with addition of 1 or 2 small items (opt). Sometimes after dishing out bowls of soup to family members, there’s at least a bowl or 2 of broth left. Personally, I love when this happens, because the broth is flavored from all the ingredients it was cooked with….MMMM = Good!
Mushroom Consommé
2 Quarts Beef Stock
½ Small Onion, finely minced (not sweet)
1 T. Butter (unsalted)
½ # White Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced (buy bulk)
Fresh Parsley, finely minced (garnish)
Fresh Pepper
Salt (opt)
Add 1 T. butter to stock pot and melt on low heat. Once melted, add minced onion and cook on low until lightly caramelized (releases juices). This should take too long. Add 2 quarts of stock and raise heat to medium to a high simmer. Let broth continue to cook with lid slightly offset from pot (5 mins). Add sliced mushrooms and reduce heat to low, cover pot and let cook 10 mins or until mushrooms reduce by half. Before seasoning, taste the consommé. Season accordingly, ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.
~ Bon Appetite!
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