Chapter Two
HOT CONSOMMES
BOUILLONS AND BROTHS
Louis XIV of France is responsible for the invention of consommé. This popular concoction had its beginning when Louis XIV ordered his chef to create a perfectly clear soup in which he might see his royal countenance. The result was consommé, accomplished with the white of an egg.
CONSOMMES
[20]
CHEMISTRY RESEARCH RENDERED GREAT SERVICE TO THE science of food in the discovery of the exact nature of osmazome. Osmazome is that eminently sapid part of meat which is soluble in cold water and is distinguished from the extractive part because the latter only renders its juice when subjected to the boiling process. It is osmazome which contributes stamina to good soups. When it has passed into a state resembling caramel it forms the browning of meat, as well as the crisp brown of roast meat; finally, from it the savor of venison and other game arises.
Osmazome is derived, above all, from full-grown animals with dark reddish flesh, such as are called meaty; it is found only in very small quantity or is absent in lamb, suckling pigs, wild fowl, or even in the white meat of the largest poultry—turkey, for instance—for which reason lovers of delicate fare have always preferred the thick part of the thigh: their instinct of taste anticipated the discovery of science.
It is to prevent any waste of this precious substance, which may be compared to the “bouquet” of wine, that all cooks, all good cooks, recognize that in order to produce good soup the pot must merely simmer or “smile.” The expression originated in France, and no other word is so adequately significant.
Osmazome, scientifically defined after having been so long instinctively appreciated by our forefathers, may be compared to alcohol, which intoxicated many generations before research and experimentation demonstrated its identity and extraction.
In addition to osmazome, we have in meat what is termed “extractive” matter, which as before stated must be subjected to boiling water. This latter product, combined with osmazome, forms the juices of meat.
The tissue of meat is composed of fibers and what is apparent after cooking. This fibrous tissue is resistant to the boiling process, and although it sheds a part of its covering, does not disintegrate wholly but maintains its substance.
Bones, which are essential to the production of good soups, consist principally of gelatin (also found in the soft and cartilaginous parts), its distinctive quality being that it coagulates at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. Phosphate of lime also is present in bones.
Albumen is found in the flesh as well as in the blood. It coagulates at a lower temperature than 104°F., and forms the scum on soups. The blood is composed of albuminous serum, of fibrin, of a little gelatin, and a little osmazome. It coagulates in hot water and is transformed into a very nourishing article of food, that is, black pudding, or bloodwursts.
Man shares in common with the animals all these vital principles. It is therefore not surprising that an animal diet is eminently restorative and strengthening to the human organism, because the particles whereof the food is composed, being similar to man’s, may easily become revitalized in the human organism when submitted to the activity of the digestive tract.
Thus to make good soups we need all the ingredients above mentioned.
Basis of All Meat Soups. Consommé, or stock, forms the basis of all meat soups, and also of all the principal sauces. It is therefore essential to the success of these culinary operations to know the most complete and economical method of extracting from a certain quantity of meat the best possible stock or broth or consommé. Fresh raw beef makes the best stock, with the addition of cracked bones, as the glutinous matter contained in them renders it important that they should be boiled with the meat, which adds to the strength and thickness as well as richness of the soup. Two ounces of bones contain as much gelatin as one pound of meat; but this is so encased in the earthy substance that boiling water can dissolve only the surface of whole bones; by breaking the bones, they can be dissolved still further. When there is an abundance of gelatin, it causes the stock, when cold, to become a jelly. The flesh of old animals contains more flavor than the flesh of the young.
The shinbone is generally used, but the neck or “sticking piece,” as the butchers call it, contains more of the substance that you want to extract, makes a stronger and more nutritious soup than any other part of the animal.
Meats for soup should always be put on to cook in cold water, in a covered kettle, and allowed to simmer—to “smile”—slowly for several hours, in order that the essence and juices of the meat may be drawn out thoroughly, and should be carefully skimmed of any scum arising on the surface to prevent the soup from becoming turbid. Never allow it to boil fast at any time, and if more water is needed, use only boiling water from the kettle; cold or lukewarm water spoils the flavor. When the liquid is clear and free from scum, then add the indicated vegetables.
For a real good stock, allow a quart of cold water to a pound of meat and bone, and a teaspoon of salt. When done, strain through a sieve; if for clear stock, strain again through a flannel cloth. When cold, pour into quart preserving jars and place in the refrigerator. Do not remove the layer of fat until ready to use the stock. The hardened fat, if unloosened, will make a perfect seal, and the stock will keep in a good refrigerator for almost a whole week. To remove the fat, loosen the edges with a sharp-pointed knife. Small pieces of fat, which may adhere to the top of the stock may be removed with a piece of paper towel or cloth. If the meat, bones, vegetables, and water have been simmered long enough, the broth will be clear, rich, and full-bodied, and have a jellylike consistency when cold. If real bouillon or consommé is desired, the stock should be clarified. The recipes for consommés serve 6 persons unless otherwise indicated.
HOW TO CLARIFY STOCK
[21]
When the stock is cold, remove the fat which has hardened on top, and put the quantity to be clarified into a saucepan. For one quart of stock, add one raw egg white and the egg shell cracked in small pieces. Place over a gentle flame and stir constantly until the boiling point is reached. Boil steadily for 2 long minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the flame and let simmer very gently; let “smile” for 20 minutes. Do not stir any more. Remove the scum, strain through a double thickness of cloth, and reheat without boiling.
Beef, veal, lamb, mutton, or poultry, or combinations of these may be used and are prepared in the same way.
DOUBLE-STRENGTH CONSOMME
[22]
Proceed as indicated for No. 21, adding with the egg white and crushed eggshell, 
pound of freshly chopped lean beef, preferably from the leg.
TO COLOR CONSOMME
[23]
Pounded spinach leaves give a fine green color to soup. Parsley or the green leaves of celery put in soup will serve instead of spinach. Pound a large handful of spinach in a mortar with a pestle, then tie it in a strong cloth, and wring out all the juice. Put this in the soup you wish to color green, 5 minutes before serving. Mock turtle, and sometimes veal and lamb soups, should be this color. Okra gives a very light green color to soup.
To color soup red, skin 6 red medium-sized tomatoes, squeeze out the seeds, and put the pulp into the soup with the other vegetables, or take the juice only, as directed for spinach, if for consommé. Or use a few drops of vegetable coloring, enough to make the desired hue.
Coloring is sometimes used in a brown soup, the chief ingredient of which is burned sugar, known as caramel by cooks. This may be prepared in advance and kept in a corked bottle, as it keeps a very long time and is useful not only for soups, but for gravy and stews.
To give your consommé a rich brown color, you may add for every quart of meat or vegetable stock or boiling water, 1 tablespoon of Pique Seasoning, mixing well.
INSTANT PIQUE CONSOMME
[24]
Hot or cold bouillon or broth
For a valuable time and labor saver, try Instant Pique Consommé to replace meat stock. To each quart of boiling or cold water, add 2 tablespoons of Pique Seasoning; for 1 pint, use 1 tablespoon of Pique; and for each cup of water, 1½ teaspoons of Pique. You may use more if a stronger consommé is desired. It also improves stews, pot roasts, and stuffings, and performs flavor miracles with vegetables, fresh or canned.
CHICKEN BROTH PARISIAN
[25]
For stock, consommé, or bouillon
Clean a 4–4½ pound fowl carefully. If you can get a few extra chicken feet and necks, so much the better; this will reinforce your broth. Place the fowl with feet and necks in a soup kettle; cover with 2 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil as slowly as possible, skimming off all scum as it rises to the top. When quite clear and there is no more scum on the surface, add a bouquet garni composed of 2 well-washed small leeks, split in two, tied with 1 large bay leaf, 10 sprigs of fresh parsley, 2 sprigs of green celery leaves (the greener the better), 1 sprig of thyme, and 2 whole cloves, using kitchen thread. Add also 1 medium-sized carrot, scraped, then quartered; 1 large onion, peeled and quartered; 1 small white turnip, peeled and quartered; 7 or 8 peppercorns, gently bruised; 2 teaspoon of salt; and a small parsnip, about the size of an egg halved. Bring to a boil, lower the flame, and simmer gently for 3 hours, covered. Strain through fine wet cheesecloth, placed over a strainer, into a bowl. Cool and, when cold, remove carefully all fat from the surface. Reheat and serve with any desired garnish, or use in any recipes which require chicken broth or stock. Use the chicken for an entrée, for croquettes, cutlets, hash, and the like. Keep the broth in a glass jar, hermetically sealed and in the refrigerator until wanted. This broth will keep for two weeks in a good refrigerator.
CHICKEN AND CORN BROTH
[26]
Bring to a boil 1½ quarts of Chicken Broth (No. 25 above). Add 1 can of strained corn and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley. Boil once. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
CLAM BOUILLON
[27]
Hot or cold
Wash and scrub with a brush ½ peck of clams, changing the water several times. Put in a kettle with 3 generous standard cups of water, cover tightly, and steam until the shells are well opened (10 minutes or thereabouts) over a hot fire. Strain through a very fine cloth; cool and clear. Serve hot or cold.
CLAM BROTH
[28]
Hot or cold
Prepare and cook the same amount of clams as indicated for Clam Bouillon (No. 27). Strain through a fine cloth over another saucepan; reheat to the boiling point; season to taste with salt, pepper, and celery salt. Serve hot or cold with saltine crackers.
CLAM BROTH WITH POACHED EGG
[29]
Prepare, cook, and strain as indicated for Clam Broth (No. 28). Reheat to the boiling point, and place a freshly poached egg in each cup just before serving.
CLAM CONSOMME
[30]
Wash 2 quarts of clams in their shells. Put in a kettle with ¼ cup of cold water; cover and cook until the shells open. Strain the liquor through a very fine cloth and add 4 cups (1 quart) of clear Beef Consommé or Chicken Broth (Nos. 114 and 25).
CLAM CONSOMME WITH WHIPPED CREAM
[31]
Prepare, cook, and serve as indicated for Clam Consommé (No. 30), adding a tablespoon of whipped cream to each cup just before serving.
CLEAR MULLIGATAWNY
[32]
India
Put 2 quarts of clear Beef Stock (No. 114), 2 medium-sized thinly sliced onions, 1 green apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, and 1 tablespoon curry powder, previously diluted in a little cold stock or water, into an enamel soup kettle or saucepan. Cover, and allow to simmer very gently for 1¼ to 1½ hours, without disturbing. Strain through a fine sieve; let cool. When cold, add the eggshells and whites of 2 fresh eggs, the shells crushed, the egg whites stiffly beaten with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let the soup boil up again, then let it simmer for 15 minutes, and strain again through a very fine sieve into a clean enamel saucepan (any other metal may blacken the stock). Heat to the boiling point, stir in the strained juice of 1 medium-sized lemon; taste for seasoning, and serve in hot soup plates with a side dish of plain boiled rice, passed around, or put the rice into the soup, if desired.
Note. In some parts of India, tiny cubes of cooked beef or chicken go into the clear mulligatawny.
CLEAR TURTLE SOUP DROUANT
[33]
Potage Tortue Clair Façon Drouant
Soak ½ pound of the best sun-dried turtle in cold water for 3 days, changing the water frequently. Put 5 quarts of rich clear Beef Stock (No. 114), the drained, rinsed piece of turtle, and 1 tablespoon of salt (less if stock is salty), in a large soup kettle. Bring to a boil, and boil steadily for 5 minutes, then skim off all scum as it rises to the surface. When quite clear, add 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 3 medium-sized carrots, chopped; 1 medium-sized white turnip, peeled and quartered; 2 stalks of celery, cut into inch lengths; 10 whole peppercorns, left whole and tied in a spice bag with 3 whole cloves and ½ teaspoon each of marjoram, mace, basil, and dried leaves of fennel. Let simmer gently for to 8 hours—the longer the better—adding more boiling stock as it evaporates. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, and put the piece of turtle aside. Then strain the stock through fine muslin into a large earthenware or porcelain container. When thoroughly cold, skim off the cake of fat from the surface, transfer the stock to a soup kettle, and let simmer very, very gently while preparing the ingredients to clarify it, as follows:
Put ½ pound of boned lean neck of beef together with ½ pound of lean raw veal through a food chopper 2 or 3 times, using the finest blade; add this to the turtle stock. Bring to a boil, beating with a wire whisk the while, and as soon as boiling, add the crushed shells and the stiffly beaten whites of 3 eggs. Let boil up steadily two or three times. Lower the flame, and let simmer gently for 30 minutes, then strain through fine muslin into a soup kettle. Add the reserved turtle meat, cubed small, and 1 small can (optional) of turtle fat (commercial), ¾ cup of the best sherry wine you can get, 1 tablespoon of strained lemon juice, and simmer gently—but do not actually boil, lest the flavor of the wine be impaired—for 5 minutes, or just enough to heat well, over a low flame. Taste for seasoning, and serve at once in heated bouillon cups or soup plates with a side dish of lemon quarters neatly dressed on a bed of crisp green watercress.
CONSOMME
[34]
Clear
Follow the directions as indicated for Beef Consommé (No. 114), and clear it according to No. 21, How to Clarify Stock.
CONSOMME ALPHABET
[35]
To each quart of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add, when boiling, 1 tablespoon of alphabet paste. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve after correcting seasoning.
CONSOMME ANDALOUSE
[36]
This consommé is known in France and in the United States as Consommé Madrilene, the difference being as follows. In the French recipe, it is made with Chicken Stock (No. 25), strongly flavored with celery and tomato juice. It is quite clear and when served hot is garnished with small tomato cubes, but when served cold it is ungarnished. In Spain, however, ordinary Beef Consommé (No. 114) is used. The tomato purée thickens it slightly, and it is garnished with 3 or 4 tablespoons of cooked vermicelli.
Bring 1½ quarts of Beef Consommé (No. 114) to a boil; stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons of tomato purée; and 5 minutes before serving, add the vermicelli.
CONSOMME ARGENTEUIL
[37]
Serves 6
Bring to a boil 1½ quarts of Beef Consommé (No. 114). When ready to serve, add ½ cup of asparagus tips, cooked or canned, and taste for seasoning. Serve in heated bouillon cups.
CONSOMME A L’AURORE
[38]
Serves 6 to 8
Put into a saucepan 2 quarts of rich Beef Consommé (No. 114). Bring to a boil, and when at a full rolling boil, let drop in, rainlike, ¼ cup of minute tapioca, being careful that the consommé does not stop boiling. Let boil for about 15 minutes; stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste; taste for seasoning, and serve in heated bouillon cups.
CONSOMME WITH BEEF DUMPLINGS
[39]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 Beef Dumplings (No. 709).
CONSOMME BELLEVUE
[40]
Serves 6
Combine 3 cups of rich Chicken Consommé (No. 25) and 3 cups of clear Clam Broth (No. 28); serve in hot bouillon cups, each cup topped with a tuft of whipped cream forced through a pastry bag with a small rose tube. No meat, no chicken, and no clam pieces are used as garnish—that is, for authentic Consommé Bellevue.
CONSOMME WITH BREAD DUMPLINGS
[41]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 Bread Dumplings (No. 712).
CONSOMME CENDRILLON
[42]
Serves 6 to 8
This is a very rich and expensive consommé. Bring 2 quarts of clear Chicken Consommé (No. 25) to a boil. Remove from the fire, and stir in 1 black truffle, previously cooked in Marsala wine, then cut into fine julienne strips (matchlike), and ½ cup of cooked rice. Serve in heated bouillon cups.
CONSOMME AUX CHEVEUX D’ANGE
[43]
Angel’s Hair Consommé—Consommé with Vermicelli
Serves 6 generously
Bring to a rolling boil 1¾ quarts of rich Beef Consommé (No. 114). When ready to serve, drop in ¼ cup of the smallest vermicelli you can get. Cook 5 minutes, and serve in heated bouillon cups.
CONSOMME WITH CUSTARD CUBES
[44]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 3 or 4 custard cubes, any kind desired found in Chapter Eleven, Custard Garnishes.
CONSOMME DIABLOTINS
[45]
Make a good rich Chicken Consommé (No. 25), and thicken slightly with minute tapioca, using 1 scant tablespoon for each quart of consommé. When ready to serve, top each cup with 1 round of Diablotins Gourmet (No. 782).
CONSOMME WITH DICED CHICKEN
[46]
To each serving of Beef Consommé or Chicken Consommé (Nos. 114 and 25), add 4 or 5 small dices of cooked chicken.
CONSOMME EGG DROP
[47]
To a quart of Beef Consommé (No. 114), boiling violently, strain 2 fresh eggs broken over a sieve as indicated for Egg Flakes (No. 784).
CONSOMME EGG DUMPLINGS
[48]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 or 3 Egg Dumplings (No. 728).
CONSOMME IVAN
[49]
Serves 6
Heat to the boiling point 1½ quarts of Chicken Consommé (No. 25). Stir in ¼ cup of beet juice (fresh or canned), and when ready to serve, stir in ½ cup of boiled rice.
CONSOMME WITH JULIENNE OF CARROT
[50]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 1 tablespoon of cooked, shredded carrot.
CONSOMME WITH LIVER DUMPLINGS
[51]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 or 3 small Liver Dumplings (No. 742).
CONSOMME LORETTE
[52]
Serves 6
Bring to a boil 1½ quarts of Chicken Consommé (No. 25), and when ready to serve, stir in 1 black truffle, peeled and cut julienne fashion, ¼ cup of asparagus tips (fresh or canned), and a teaspoon of finely chopped chervil or parsley.
CONSOMME LUCETTE
[53]
Serves 6 to 8
Bring to a rapid boil 2 quarts of Beef Consommé (No. 114), then gradually, in rainlike fashion, drop in cup of alimentary alphabet paste, and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the alphabet paste is tender. When ready to serve, stir in 1 tablespoon of small pieces of raw tomato pulp. Serve in soup plates, with a poached egg in each.
CONSOMME WITH MACARONI DUMPLINGS
[54]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 or 3 small Italian Dumplings (No. 740).
CONSOMME MADRILENE
[55]
Follow directions for Jellied Consommé Madrilene (No. 128), but omit the gelatin.
CONSOMME WITH MARROW DUMPLINGS
[56]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 or 3 small Marrow Dumplings (No. 743).
CONSOMME MIDINETTE
[57]
Working Girl Consommé—serves 6
Heat 1½ quarts of Chicken Consommé (No. 25) to the boiling point. Cook in a small saucepan 6 poached eggs, and set them aside. To the consommé brought to a rapid boil, add gradually, in rainlike fashion, ¼ cup of minute tapioca, and cook until tender. Pour the consommé into a heated soup tureen, and float the 6 poached eggs on top. To save time, and for something different, try using Instant Pique Consommé (No. 24).
CONSOMME MILLEFANTI
[58]
Serves 4 generously
To 1 quart of hot consommé, chicken preferably (No. 25), add the following mixture. Beat 4 eggs, as for an omelet, adding gradually and slowly 2 generous tablespoons of grated cheese (American, Parmesan, Swiss cheese, or any other kind of your favorite hard cheese), and 1 generous tablespoon of chopped parsley. Pour this slowly and gradually into the consommé, stirring rapidly all the while. Finish with a dash of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of port wine to taste. Serve immediately.
CONSOMME MILLE-FEUILLES
[59]
Leafy Consommé—serves 6 generously
Combine, mixing thoroughly, cup of soft bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese. Add 2 fresh eggs, a dash of nutmeg, salt, and a few grains of cayenne, and beat briskly for at least 2 minutes. Have ready, at a rolling boil, 1¾ quarts of clear Beef Consommé (No. 114). Drop the preparation by means of a small funnel into the boiling consommé, and allow it to simmer gently for 5 minutes. By this time, the broth will become clear again. Serve in heated bouillon cups with toasted, buttered finger strips.
CONSOMME MONTE CARLO
[60]
Garnish each serving of hot rich Beef Consommé (No. 114) with small Profiterolles (No. 799), filled with a mixture of equal parts of chicken purée and onions. Use four profiterolles for each serving, to represent the four aces of a deck of playing cards. A chiffonade of parboiled, shredded green pepper also may be added, as well as a pinch of finely minced chervil.
CONSOMME MURAT
[61]
Serves 6
Bring to a boil 1½ quarts of Beef Consommé (No. 114), and let simmer. When ready to serve, pour the consommé into a heated soup tureen, and add 12 freshly made or canned raviolis (2 to a serving). Serve with a side dish of grated Parmesan cheese.
CONSOMME NANA
[62]
Serves 6 to 8
This consommé is very substantial and nourishing. Arrange in the bottom of a heated soup tureen a layer of tiny toasted rounds of long French bread called flûte, or ordinary bread cut with the smallest cooky cutter and toasted. Cover these rounds with a layer of grated Gruyère cheese. Add another layer of toasted bread rounds, and spread with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover these with more small toasted rounds, and top them with 6 poached eggs (or 8, if needed), neatly trimmed, with just a narrow border of white. When ready to serve, pour over very gently and carefully 2 quarts of boiling rich Chicken Consommé (No. 25).
Note. If desired, serve the poached eggs separately, thus preventing breaking them when ladling the consommé.
CONSOMME WITH NOODLES
[63]
Whenever Giuseppi Verdi, the famous composer, needed inspiration, he found it in a large bowl of noodle soup. He also rewarded himself with a bowlful when he completed a composition.
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add a scant tablespoon of cooked noodles.
CONSOMME OLGA
[64]
Serves 6 generously
Bring to the boiling point 1½ quarts of rich Beef Consommé (No. 114), but do not let it actually boil. When ready to serve, stir in scant cup of port wine and 2 tablespoons each of celery root, cut julienne fashion, and caviar previously rinsed in hot stock to remove the brine. Serve in heated bouillon cups.
CONSOMME PAULETTE
[65]
Serves 6
Bring to a boils 1½ quarts of Chicken Consommé (No. 25), and serve in heated bouillon cups, each cup garnished with 2 or 3 tiny cubes of Chicken Custard Garnish (No. 686), and with 4 or 5 pimiento stars, cut from drained canned pimientos with a tiny French star cutter. Serve in heated bouillon cups with Cheese Pastry Sticks (No. 776).
CONSOMME WITH RICE
[66]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 1 tablespoon of plain cooked rice. For a different treat, try the rice in Instant Pique Consommé (No. 24).
CONSOMME SAINT QUENTIN
[67]
Serves 6
Heat 1½ quarts of Beef Consommé (No. 114) to the boiling point, and stir in ¼ cup of sherry wine. Serve in heated cups garnished with 2 Egg Balls (No. 672).
CONSOMME WITH SPONGE DUMPLINGS
[68]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 2 or 3 Sponge Dumplings (No. 760).
CONSOMME WITH TAPIOCA
[69]
Also called Fin de Siècle—serves 6
To 1½ quarts of violently boiling Beef Consommé (No. 114), drop rainlike 3 tablespoons of minute tapioca. Or use Instant Pique Consommé (No. 24).
CONSOMME TRANSPARENT
[70]
Louis XIV’s favorite soup—serves 6
This soup takes a long time to prepare, but it is a revelation when finished. Quite “the thing” for a dinner party. It is taken from Flowers of the French Cuisine.
Cut the meat from 4 pounds of knuckle of veal into small pieces; break the bones, and put both into a large soup kettle. Pour over 3 quarts of cold water. Add 2 ounces of blanched almonds, finely chopped or ground, a blade of mace, and salt and pepper to taste. Very slowly bring this to a boil, and let boil violently for 5 minutes. Then lower the heat, and let simmer; let smile very gently until reduced to half the original quantity, then strain through a fine muslin cloth. Cool. When quite cold, remove every particle of fat. Return the clear stock to the fire. Bring it to a boil, let fall in ½ cup of crushed vermicelli, lower the heat at once, and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Then season with salt and white pepper, and stir in 3 tablespoons of good sherry wine. Serve at once in heated soup plates.
CONSOMME WITH VEGETABLE VALENTINES
[71]
Serves 6
To 1½ quarts of hot consommé, either Beef, Chicken, or Scotch Mutton Broth (Nos. 114, 25, or 650), add 1 cup of mixed vegetables, cut into small hearts with a tiny French heart-shaped cutter before they are cooked. Allow to boil for 15 minutes over a low fire, or cook separately in salted boiling water. Drain, and add to the consommé just before serving.
Note. You may add, if desired, a few drops of red vegetable coloring to the consommé just before serving for St. Valentine’s Day.
CONSOMME VENITIEN
[72]
Italian—serves 6
Gradually beat into 1½ quarts of rapidly boiling clear Beef Consomme (No. 114) 4 well-beaten fresh egg yolks, beaten with 1 scant tablespoon of strained lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, and serve at once in heated bouillon cups, each cup floated with a thin slice of toasted roll topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
CONSOMME WITH VERMICELLI
[73]
To each serving of Beef Consommé (No. 114), add 1 tablespoon of cooked vermicelli.
MUSHROOM CONSOMME AU SHERRY
[74]
Serves 6
Melt 4 tablespoons of sweet butter in a saucepan. Add ½ cup of thinly sliced onions, the rings separated, and cook until they are a light golden brown, stirring frequently, over a very gentle flame. Then add ½ pound of fresh mushrooms, peeled, and thinly sliced, and 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice. Cook until mushrooms are tender, or about 4 minutes, stirring almost constantly. Mushrooms should not be brown. Stir in 1½ quarts of rich double-strength hot Beef Bouillon (No. 114), made by boiling down 3 quarts of beef bouillon to half its original volume. Taste for seasoning, and heat, but do not allow to boil. Just before serving in heated bouillon cups, add 4 tablespoons of good sherry. Serve at once.
COURT BOUILLON, RED WINE
[77]
Short broth for fish
Court bouillon means short broth in French. Combine the follow. ing ingredients in a fish kettle: 2 quarts of cold water; ¾ cup of red wine; salt to taste; 2 small carrots, scraped and sliced; 2 small onions, peeled then sliced thin; 1 bouquet garni composed of 1 large bay leaf, 8 sprigs of fresh parsley, 1 sprig of thyme, and 2 whole cloves all tied together with white kitchen thread; and ½ teaspoon of peppercorns, slightly bruised. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently for a few minutes. Again bring to a boil, add the fish, lower the heat, and simmer or “poach” gently until the fish is done. It is appropriate to cook almost any kind of trout, eel, pike, pickerel, or the like.
COURT BOUILLON, VINEGAR
[78]
Proceed as indicated for Court Bouillon, Red Wine (No. 77), substituting vinegar for red wine.
COURT BOUILLON, WHITE WINE
[79]
Proceed as indicated for Court Bouillon, Red Wine (No. 77), substituting dry white wine for red wine.
COURT BOUILLON, MILK OR CREAM
[80]
Cover a large piece of fish, such as salmon or turbot, with salted cold water in a fish kettle, and add 
cup of milk or cream for each quart of water used. Do not add any vegetables, but add 1 slice of lemon, peeled and seeded.
TOMATO BOUILLON WITH OYSTERS
[81]
Serves 6 generously
Place in a soup kettle 1 large No. 2 can of tomatoes, 1½ quarts of Fish Stock (No. 8), 3 tablespoons of butter, 1½ tablespoons of finely chopped onion, a tiny bit of bay leaf, 3 crushed cloves, 1 scant teaspoon of celery seed, and 9 crushed peppercorns. Let boil continuously for 15 minutes. Strain through a very fine sieve, and clear. Just before serving, parboil for 2 minutes 6 large fresh oysters in their own liquor until plump and the gills (edges) curl. Place one in each cup with 1 teaspoon of freshly whipped cream. Serve with a side dish of saltine crackers.