Beef Tea (Clarified Beef Broth for Health)
A clear, concentrated beef broth obtained without boiling, rich in flavor and reputed to be strengthening. Sipped hot from a cup, like a gentle remedy.
A clear, concentrated beef broth obtained without boiling, rich in flavor and reputed to be strengthening. Sipped hot from a cup, like a gentle remedy.
My body has never been very kind to me, and I have learned to be kind to it in return. When study left me weary to the bone, I would have beef tea prepared: lean meat cut small, covered with cold water, heated gently without ever letting it boil—for boiling, I was assured, drives out its virtue. It is strained, barely salted, and drunk piping hot. It does not fill the stomach like a roast, but it restores the mind's vigor; and for a man of the study, that is an inestimable service.
- •Lean beef (shin, leg) — one pound (base)
- •Cold water — one pint (extraction)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Beef Tea (Clarified Beef Broth for Health)
A clear, concentrated beef broth obtained without boiling, rich in flavor and reputed to be strengthening. Sipped hot from a cup, like a gentle remedy.
Why this dish? Marshall, "mindful of his fragile health, led a measured lifestyle." Beef tea was THE restorative for delicate Victorians: a concentrated beef broth, recommended by doctors of the time for convalescents and exhausted intellectual workers.
My body has never been very kind to me, and I have learned to be kind to it in return. When study left me weary to the bone, I would have beef tea prepared: lean meat cut small, covered with cold water, heated gently without ever letting it boil—for boiling, I was assured, drives out its virtue. It is strained, barely salted, and drunk piping hot. It does not fill the stomach like a roast, but it restores the mind's vigor; and for a man of the study, that is an inestimable service.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lean beef (shin, leg) — one pound (base)
- Cold water — one pint (extraction)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Lean minced beef or very small dice (shin) — 500 g (base)
- Cold water — 600 ml (extraction)
- Salt — 1 pinch (seasoning)
Method
- Cut the beef into very small pieces (or mince) and place in a jar or saucepan with the cold water.
- Let macerate 30 minutes cold to begin extraction.
- Heat very gently in a bain-marie, never reaching a boil, for 1 to 1.5 hours (the liquid should at most barely simmer).
- Strain through a fine sieve or muslin, pressing the meat.
- Lightly salt, skim off any fat, and serve piping hot in a cup.
How it was made : Victorian cookery and domestic care treatises insisted: beef tea must not boil, lest it coagulate the juices and become less "nourishing." It was often prepared in a bain-marie or in a stoppered bottle immersed in hot water, sometimes overnight.
The contemporary twist : Serve as an "apothecary's consommé" in a small porcelain teacup, with a sprig of watercress, as a nod to the sickroom remedies of yesteryear.
Sources : Mrs Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861 · Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing, 1859
Alfred Marshall · Charactorium
