Cooks and food lovers all over the world would jump at having an easy way out by using the specific sauce, measurement, broth ingredient or stock that will give them the best cooking results such as in a beef consommé recipe, without experimenting first.
But that is rarely the case. Most times, it boils down to using your discretion or initiative even when you are given a detailed recipe, which is a game of equal chance. Except of course, you are a know-it-all chef with tons of experience.
Stocks and broths are an important part of any recipe, in fact, they are usually the basic so they can’t be excluded.
Getting the best kind of broth to use for a particular dish could be quite worrisome, making the choice between a beef consommé vs broth, white stock or brown stock could be confusing but in the same light, unavoidable.
What exactly is beef consommé?
Beef Consomme With Egg
- Beef consommé is a kind of delicious clarified broth made from beef stock, it is gotten from the simmering and volume reducing preparation of brown stock.
- It will surprise you to know that consommé has been a staple soup since the middle ages, which was mostly around the 5th to 15th centuries.
- In those times it was prepared in different ways, the meat of animals that were regarded uncommon was also used for its preparation.
So you need not worry about its popularity or validity. It’s deliciously legal!!!
Why should I go for beef consommé rather than regular broth?
Beef consommé is unique in flavor, unlike broth which has its basic purpose in being used as a start up in the preparation of other delicacies. You can serve beef consommé on its own and consuming it as a soup is the best way to savor the beef flavors.
Although beef consommé and broth are both clear liquid stocks, the difference lies in the preparation and the ingredients used. In Latin, consommé means “complete” which goes on to explain that beef consommé has a more all-round completeness.
The more obvious difference between broth and beef consommé is in the consistency, beef consommé has an obvious thicker form than broth which makes it more suitable for the preparation of dishes (like the beef consommé rice) and soups if you so desire.
How do I prepare it?
There are a variety of ways you can prepare this flavored delight to suit your preference and purpose, some a bit complex and some are as simple as can be but quite similar in most cases, for those of you into variety recipes, let’s explore a few.
Beef Consomme With Egg
You can start with the basic beef consommé recipe by; outlander kitchen which is quite straight forward and easy to prepare, it doesn’t require a lot of practicing and the result is equally inviting.
Beef consomme from dia – Photo from outlanderkitchen.com
For this recipe, you make use of already canned beef broth, so it is ideal if you do not want to go through the supposed stress of making the beef broth from scratch. I think that is the main “learning process”, making it from start to finish with raw ingredients and a smiling face.
We can also get more experimental with the beef consommé recipe by olives & Lucinda, this recipe gives a step by step breakdown of the entire procedure, it also includes some creative serving ideas.
Beef consommé with fino sherry – Photo from olivesandlucinda.com
Let us take note that it involves refrigerating the stock overnight before the final soup is prepared so ensure you have enough time on your hands before embarking on this beef consommé journey. In the end, you will be glad you took the time.
Now with our chef caps on and our spatulas at hand, let us try this recipe by about.com , this recipe has a funny twist to it because it involves the use of a food processor and egg shells, well, all for the good taste right!
You can also substitute your beef stock for veal stock if it is available to you. Veal is a kind of meat which is gotten from calves, the main difference between this and beef is that beef is gotten from older cattle while veal is gotten from young calves.
Now no one needs to be a pro to try their hands on a beef consommé.
Is it worth it?
YES!!! It is totally worth it, you will most likely get caught up in the fun experience of preparing beef consommé when trying it out as practical learning.
The fact of this is that once you are done getting the ingredients together and through with all your chopping, the work is more than halfway concluded.
Don’t be bothered about the price of the ingredients as well because preparing this yourself in your kitchen will cost you far less than buying the ready-made canned soup.
It also gives you a double advantage since it can be stored in the fridge for future use when needed.
Most of all, you get a certain kind of fulfillment when you have such lovely dishes done from the comfort of your home and show it off to friends. What’s the fear? It’s your kitchen so make use of it already.
There you have it guys, beef consommé may seem technical and stressful to achieve but it is actually quite straightforward, all you need is a willingness and a yearning for quality taste.
If you have any comments about beef consommé or questions to ask regarding the soup you are most welcome to inform me. What else? Let’s get cooking!