Consomme Primavera
Submitted by Frogslegs
Crystal-clear chicken consomme reduced to a quarter of its volume, garnished with steamed julienned vegetables and enoki mushrooms. A refined French-Italian soup with intense concentrated flavor.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3 hrsConsomme is broth with ambition.
Chicken necks and backs simmer for nearly three hours with onion, celery, carrot, turnip, parsnip, garlic, thyme, and peppercorns. Slow simmering is key. A rolling boil clouds the broth, but a gentle simmer keeps it clear. After straining through double cheesecloth, the liquid gets reduced to one-quarter of its original volume, concentrating every ounce of chicken and vegetable flavor into a few intensely savory cups.
The garnish is all about precision. Squash peels, zucchini peels, carrot, and leek get julienned into perfect matchsticks, steamed for just one minute, and arranged in the bowl. Enoki mushrooms add a delicate, almost noodle-like texture.
The pulp from the squash and zucchini gets set aside for another use. Only the colorful peels make the cut here, keeping the garnish light and elegant.
Chef Tips
- Bring the stock to a simmer very slowly. Rapid heating stirs up particles and makes the broth cloudy. Patience here is everything.
- Skim fat from the surface after cooling. The fat rises as the broth cools and lifts off easily with a spoon or paper towel.
- Cut the julienne uniformly. This is a presentation-forward soup. Uneven vegetable strips look sloppy in a clear broth where everything is visible.
- Steam the vegetable garnish for no more than 1 minute. They should be barely cooked, bright in color, with a gentle snap.
Variations
- Use a mix of fresh herbs like chervil and tarragon instead of thyme for a more classic French flavor.
- Swap enoki mushrooms for thinly sliced shiitakes for a more robust mushroom presence.
Ingredients
Directions
Coarsely chop the onion, celery, 1 carrot, the turnip, and parsnip.
Place in a large stock pot.
Add 1½ quarts water, the chicken parts, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and salt to taste.
Bring very slowly to a simmer; cook 2½ to 3 hours.
Strain through a double layer of cheesecloth.
Set aside to cool.
Peel the skins off the yellow squash and zucchini, discarding or reserving the pulp for other use.
Julienne the peels, remaining ½ carrot, and the leek into uniform ⅛×2 inch matchsticks. Place in a steamer over boiling water; cook 1 minute.
Remove and allow to cool.
Skim any fat that has risen to the top of the consomme.
Return the broth to a slow simmer; cook until reduced to one-fourth its original volume.
To serve, divide among four soup bowls.
Garnish with the julienned vegetables and the mushrooms.
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