Consommé Madrilène (Chilled Consommé with Red Peppers and Tomatoes)

By Whisk

Consommé Madrilène is a crystal-clear soup that is pure and clean-tasting, typically flavored with tomato, and served chilled. But getting this crystal-clear liquid requires fat-free stock and hamburger patties!

Ingredients

• 10 cups chicken stock
• Salt
• 12 ounces ground beef, lean
• 1 leek (green part only), chopped fine
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 2 carrots, chopped fine
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fine-chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, and tarragon)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 2 egg whites
• 30 peppercorns, crushed
• 8 ounces red bell pepper, diced fine
• 1 small tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
• Chervil or parsley leaves for garnish

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from amazon.com

Preparation

Step 1

Season the chicken stock with salt and bring it to a boil.

Cut the leeks, celery, and carrots in a fine dice, or brunoise. Chop the tomatoes.

Mix the egg whites, lean ground beef, vegetables (leeks, celery, and carrots), and aromatics (herbs, bay leaf, and peppercorns). This mixture is called a raft. Add some water and hot stock to the mixture to bring the temperature of it up. Then, add this mixture to the hot stock and stir it around. Before the mixture comes to a boil, stir the consommé so that the egg whites don't stick to the pot and burn and to ensure the protein is distributed evenly. After it starts to boil, simmer for 1 hour. Don't stir after this. Check the pot to make sure there is a chimney so that the liquid can bubble through.

Remove the consommé from underneath the raft. Chill.

To prepare the garnish, dice the red bell pepper and place in cold, salted water. Blanch for 10 minutes and chill in an ice bath. Peel, seed, and dice the tomato.

To serve, ladle the consommé into a bowl and garnish with the red bell pepper, the tomato, and chervil or parsley.