flipDouble chicken consommé
Double chicken consommé
Why this dish? In his final years, illness forced Debussy onto a strict diet that he experienced as a painful deprivation; clear consommé, nourishing but light, was the preferred soup for convalescents of his time.
A chicken broth clarified to amber transparency, double-strength in flavor through a second cooking on chicken breasts, served piping hot and clear. Comforting without ever being heavy.
They took a lot from me, in the end — the oysters, the wines, all those pleasures I held like friends. I had this consommé left, served to me clear as spring water yet full of strength. Believe me, it takes as much art to make a broth limpid as to silence an orchestra: you skim, you barely let it simmer, you never rush. It was meager, yes, but it was clean and honest, and I put into it what appetite I had left.
- •Stewing hen — one (base of the stock)
- •Carrots, leek, onion, celery — a bouquet (aromatic vegetables)
- •Minced poultry breasts — two (clarification (the "clarifying meat"))
- •Egg whites — two (clarifying agent)
- •Salt, clove, thyme, bay leaf — to taste (seasoning)
Double chicken consommé
A chicken broth clarified to amber transparency, double-strength in flavor through a second cooking on chicken breasts, served piping hot and clear. Comforting without ever being heavy.
Why this dish? In his final years, illness forced Debussy onto a strict diet that he experienced as a painful deprivation; clear consommé, nourishing but light, was the preferred soup for convalescents of his time.
They took a lot from me, in the end — the oysters, the wines, all those pleasures I held like friends. I had this consommé left, served to me clear as spring water yet full of strength. Believe me, it takes as much art to make a broth limpid as to silence an orchestra: you skim, you barely let it simmer, you never rush. It was meager, yes, but it was clean and honest, and I put into it what appetite I had left.
Ingredients (period version)
- Stewing hen — one (base of the stock)
- Carrots, leek, onion, celery — a bouquet (aromatic vegetables)
- Minced poultry breasts — two (clarification (the "clarifying meat"))
- Egg whites — two (clarifying agent)
- Salt, clove, thyme, bay leaf — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Carcass + chicken legs (free-range) — 1 kg (rich stock)
- Carrot, leek, onion, celery stalk — 1 each (aromatic garnish)
- Minced chicken breast — 150 g (clarification and flavor concentration)
- Egg whites — 2 (clarification)
- Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf) — 1 (flavor)
- Salt — to taste at the end (seasoning)
Method
- Prepare a broth: cover carcass, legs and vegetables with cold water, skim, let simmer for 2 to 3 hours without boiling. Strain, degrease, cool.
- To clarify: mix minced chicken breast, egg whites and a little cold mirepoix.
- Stir this mixture into the cold broth, heat gently while stirring until a raft forms on the surface.
- Stop stirring, let simmer very gently for 30 minutes without disturbing the raft.
- Strain carefully through a damp cheesecloth; adjust salt.
- Serve piping hot in consommé cups.
How it was made : Double consommé was the pride of classical cuisine: an already-made stock, recooked with lean meat to double the flavor, then clarified with egg and minced meat to perfect clarity. It was the soup of grand tables as well as convalescent tables.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a fine cup with a parmesan shortbread placed on the saucer — the lightness of the broth against the golden crunch.
Claude Debussy · Charactorium
