Consommes

Consommés are the crystal-clear soups made by clarifying broths — usually meat or fish based — until they shine. Clarification is the craft: egg whites or ground meat raft through the simmering stock, trapping every particle of impurity and leaving a liquid of pure, intense flavour. They may be served hot or cold and often serve as bases for sauces. A double consommé is reduced to half its volume, doubling down on flavour. It is classical cooking at its most disciplined — nothing hidden, nowhere for a flawed stock to hide.