French Onion Soup
Making Beef Consommé Out of Beef Broth
Beef consommé is a full bodied and hearty broth. A homemade veal stock is great to start off with but you can use store bought beef broth to begin the consommé with, if that is all that is available.
The egg shells add calcium and the sprig of thyme adds a fresh, herby note. This beef consommé out of beef broth is made with premium ground beef, or sirloin steak, for an extra rich flavor. This cut of beef is not cheap but you only need half a pound of it and the depth it gives to the consommé flavor is amazing. Use a cheaper cut of beef if you need to or if you have something to use up.
Consommé is a condensed, rich form of broth and broth is always used to make consommé. A French onion soup recipe might call for consommé or it might call for broth. There are beef broth recipes and consommé recipes that you can use to make the perfect base for your French onion soup recipe.
Tasty Beef Consommé with Thyme
Ingredients -
4 egg whites
4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
6 cups veal or beef broth
1 sprig thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
4 eggshells, crushed
3 tomatoes, quartered
˝ lb premium ground beef
Preparation:
Whisk the eggshells, egg whites, and peppercorns until you have a foamy mixture.
Pulse the celery, tomatoes, beef and celery in a food processor a few times.
Combine the broth, the vegetable and beef mixture, the eggs, salt and thyme in a stockpot and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring it all the time.
Turn the heat down to a simmer and let the mixture simmer for 35 minutes without stirring it.
Take it off the heat and strain the beef consommé through a fine mesh sieve, which is lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Discard everything left in the sieve and add salt to the consommé if you like.
(Makes 10 Cups)
Veal or Beef Broth
If you want to make beef consommé out of beef broth, you will get a rich, full flavored consommé, which is clear and deeply colored. Veal broth is another option and this broth has a different flavor. You can use veal broth for a lighter, less beefy flavor, or beef broth if you want to make a classic French onion soup recipe.
Using Consommé to Make French Onion Soup
Some French onion soup recipes call for broth and others call for consommé. Since consommé is just clarified broth, the choice of what to use is yours. A clear consommé means the caramelized onions are more visible but a broth is richly flavored as well.
Tips for Clarifying Broth
Clarifying broth means to make it more clear and remove as many particles as possible to achieve this. The best way to clarify broth, and make beef consommé out of beef broth, is to make a "raft" with an egg white, and then sieve the partially clarified broth through a double layer of cheesecloth to finish the job.