Professional Cooking - Chapter 9 "Soups"

The word consommé means _____________.

-"Completed" or "Concentrated" -A consommé is a strong, concentrated stock or broth.

Standard portion size for a Soup as a Main Course:

-10 to 12 oz

Standard portion size for a Soup as an Appetizer:

-6 to 8 oz

What's the difference between a broth and a stock?

-A broth is made by simmering meat and vegetables. -While a stock is made by simmering bones and vegetables.

What flavor is desired in a Broth?

-A broth, on the other hand, is an excellent choice as the base of a soup when a distinct meat flavor is desired.

What are Clear Vegetable Soups made from?

-A clear stock or broth, not necessarily clarified, with the addition of one or more vegetables and, sometimes, meat or poultry and/or pasta or grains. -Most vegetable soups are made from meat or poultry stock or broth. -Meatless or vegetarian soups are made from vegetable broth or water.

Vegetable Soup

-A clear, seasoned stock or broth with the addition of one or more vegetables and, sometimes, meat or poultry products and starches.

Clearmeat (or the Clarification)

-A mixture used to clarify consommés. -Ground meat, egg whites, and flavoring ingredients.

What flavor is desired in a stock?

-A more neutral flavor is desired in a stock, which is used as the base for many sauces as well as soups.

Consommé

-A rich, flavorful stock or broth that has been clarified to make it perfectly clear and transparent. -The process of clarification is a technique we study in detail.

What garnish can be added to a soup that gives a feeling of richness while adding only a gram or two of fat?

-A teaspoonful of whipped cream.

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you observe differences in cooking times?

-Add long-cooking vegetables first, short-cooking vegetables near the end. -Vegetables that are already fully cooked and hot can be added to the hot soup after it is removed from the fire.

Clear Soup

-All based on a clear, unthickened broth or stock. -They may be served plain or garnished with a variety of vegetables and meats.

Albumin

-All the proteins of the albumin family are water-soluble -Substances containing albumins, such as egg white, are called albuminoids.

Beef or veal consommé made from brown stock should have an _____ color.

-Amber -It is not dark brown like canned consommé. -Chicken consommé is a very pale amber.

Accompaniments to a Soup:

-American soups are traditionally served with crackers.

Why is coagulation of proteins an important subject in the discussion of stock making?

-Because one of the major concerns was how to keep coagulated proteins from making the stock cloudy. -Strangely enough, this same process of coagulation enables us to clarify stocks to perfect transparency.

Why are acidic Ingredients often added to a clearmeat when making a Consommé?

-Because the acidity helps coagulate the protein. -They aren't absolutely necessary, the heat will coagulate the protein anyway, but many chefs like to use them.

Why are Mirepoix and other seasoning and flavoring ingredients usually included when making a clearmeat for a Consommé?

-Because they add flavor to the finished consommé. -They don't actually help in the clarification, except possibly to give solidity to the raft.

Why are Egg Whites included in the clearmeat when making a Consommé?

-Because, being mostly albumin, they greatly strengthen its clarifying power. -Albumin proteins are water-soluble.

How would you clarify a chicken consommé?

-Beef and/or chicken meat are use.

What's the most desirable lean ground meat when preparing a clearmeat for a consommé.

-Beef shank, also called shin beef. -Because it is high in albumin proteins as well as in flavor and gelatin, and it is very lean.

Appearance of a Quality Broth:

-Broth should be clear, with no cloudiness caused by hard boiling. -Color may range from pale gold to rich brown, depending on the ingredients and on whether or not the meat and mirepoix were browned. -The broth should be degreased, so that no more than a few droplets of fat show on the surface.

What is the standard Appearance for a Quality Consommé?

-Broth should be crystal clear and perfectly degreased. -Color should be pale amber for poultry consommé and darker amber, not dark brown, for meat consommé. -Garnish should be perfectly and uniformly cut.

What is the standard Texture for a Quality Consommé?

-Broth should have good body and mouthfeel, even more so than a good broth, due to a noticeable gelatin content from the well-made stock. -Garnish should be cooked to the right degree of tenderness.

Texture of a Quality Broth:

-Broth should have good body and not feel thin and watery in the mouth. -Any garnish should be cooked to the right degree of tenderness.

Lacto-vegetarians may eat soups containing:

-Butter, Milk, or Cream.

How can Thick Soups be kept low in fat?

-By thickening them with a slurry of starch (such as arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch) and cold water rather than with a roux.

What are Vegetable Cream Soups usually garnished with?

-Carefully cut pieces of the vegetable from which they are made.

Toppings on Clear Soups:

-Clear soups are generally served without toppings to let the attractiveness of the clear broth and the carefully cut vegetables speak for themselves. -Occasional exceptions are toppings of chopped parsley or chives.

Far from being just a plain old cup of broth, a well-made _____________ is one of the greatest of all soups.

-Consommé -Its sparkling clarity is a delight to the eye, and its rich, full flavor, strength, and body make it a perfect starter for an elegant dinner.

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you cook starches such as grains and pasta separately and add to the soup later?

-Cooking them in the soup makes it cloudy. -Potatoes are sometimes cooked directly in the soup, but they should be rinsed of excess starch after cutting if you want to keep the soup as clear as possible.

How are Cream Soups most often named?

-Cream soups are usually named after their major ingredient, as in cream of chicken or cream of asparagus.

Because cream soups contain milk or cream or both, __________ is a common problem.

-Curdling -The heat of cooking and the acidity of many of the other soup ingredients are the causes of this curdling.

In the great kitchens of several decades ago, cream soups could be described as:

-Diluted, flavored sauces. -In fact, what we now call cream soups were divided into two groups: 1. Veloutés- made from velouté sauce and finished with a liaison. 2. Creams- made from béchamel sauce and finished with cream.

Flavor and Aroma of a Quality Broth:

-Flavor and aroma should be full and rich, not thin, with the distinct flavor of the main ingredients (meat, poultry, or fish). -Seasoning should be well balanced, with just the right amount of salt.

What is the standard Flavor and Aroma for a Quality Consommé?

-Flavor and aroma should be full, rich, well balanced, and concentrated, with the distinct flavor of the main ingredients (meat, poultry, or fish). -It should be carefully seasoned, with just the right amount of salt.

How would you go about making a Brown Meat Broth?

-Follow the procedure in the recipe for Simmered Fresh Beef Brisket. -But brown the meat and mirepoix well before adding water. -Flavorful cuts such as beef shank, chuck, and neck are good for making broths.

Do not overdo soup toppings. The food should be attractive in itself. Topping suggestions for thick soups include the following:

-Fresh herbs (such as parsley or chives), chopped -Fine julienne of vegetables -Sliced almonds, toasted -Grated cheese -Sieved egg yolk -Chopped or riced egg whites -Croutons -Crumbled bacon -Paprika -Flavored butters -Flavored oils -Fried herbs, such as parsley, sage, chervil, celery leaves, leek julienne -Sour cream, crème fraîche, or whipped cream, either plain or flavored with herbs or spices

Consommés are generally named after their _________.

-Garnish -Such as consommé brunoise, which contains vegetables cut into brunoise shape (⅛-inch dice).

Because of this difference, a well-made stock is generally richer in ________ content than a broth.

-Gelatin -Because gelatin is derived from cartilage and connective tissue. -A broth, on the other hand, usually has a more pronounced flavor of meat or poultry than a stock.

Chowder

-Hearty soups made from fish, shellfish, and/or vegetables. -Although they are made in many ways, they usually contain milk and potatoes.

When making Cream Soups, don't add cold milk or cream to simmering soup. Instead do one of the following:

-Heat the milk in a separate saucepan. -Temper the milk by gradually adding some of the hot soup to it. Then add it to the rest of the soup.

Cold soups are sometimes considered specialty soups, and, in fact, some are. What are some Cold Soups are simply cold versions of basic Clear and Thick Soups?

-Jellied Consommé -Cold Cream of Cucumber Soup -Vichyssoise (vee shee swahz)

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you select vegetables and other ingredients whose flavors go well together?

-Judgment, combined with experience, must be used to create a pleasing combination. -Don't just throw in everything you've got. -Five or six vegetables are usually enough, since more than that often makes a jumble.

Clear soups are especially suitable for people seeking __________ foods.

-Low-Fat -Consommés and clear vegetable soups are virtually fat-free. -Especially if the vegetables weren't sweated in fat before being simmered.

Garnishes in the Soup:

-Major ingredients, such as the vegetables in clear vegetable soup, are often considered garnishes. -This group of garnishes also includes meats, poultry, seafood, pasta products, and grains such as barley or rice. -They are treated as part of the preparation or recipe itself, not as something added on.

How would you clarify a fish consommé?

-Meat is not used, obviously, to make fish consommé. -Ground lean fish may be used, but it is normal to omit flesh altogether and use only egg whites.

Vegetable soups for vegans must not contain any:

-Meat or any other animal product and must be made with water or vegetable stock. -To bind thick soups, use a starch slurry or a roux made with oil rather than butter.

In addition to the usual saltines, other suggestions for crisp accompaniments are:

-Melba toast -Corn chips or tortilla chips -Breadsticks -Cheese straws -Whole grain wafers -Profiteroles (tiny unsweetened cream puff shells)

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you cut vegetables uniformly?

-Neat, careful cutting means uniform cooking and attractive appearance. -Sizes of cuts are important, too. -Pieces should be large enough to be identifiable but small enough to eat conveniently with a spoon.

Lean Ground Meat (When preparing a Clearmeat)

-One of the major sources of protein that enables the clearmeat to do its job. -It also contributes flavor to the consommé. -The meat must be lean because fat is undesirable in a consommé.

Unlike clear soups, thick soups are _________ rather than transparent.

-Opaque -They are thickened either by adding a thickening agent, such as a roux, or by puréeing one or more of their ingredients to provide a heavier consistency.

How can Cream Soups be kept low in fat?

-Reduce or omit the cream and instead use evaporated skim milk.

Mirepoix

-Roughly chopped vegetable cut, usually a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery. -The traditional ratio is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery.

In cream soups, what helps to avoid curdling?

-Roux and other starch thickeners stabilize milk and cream. -Caution is still necessary because soups are relatively thin and do not contain enough starch to be completely curdle-proof.

What temperature should soups be served?

-Serve hot soups hot, in hot cups or bowls. -Serve cold soups cold, in chilled bowls or even nested in a larger bowl of crushed ice.

In all broth-making operations, just as in stock making, never let the temperature rise above a _______.

-Simmer -Boiling makes the broth cloudy.

Why must the mirepoix be cut into fine pieces?

-So it will float with the raft. -A large amount of a particular vegetable may be added if a special flavor is desired.

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you be careful not to overcook?

-Some cooks feel soups must be simmered a long time to extract flavors into the liquid, but you should have already done this when you made the stock. -Vegetables in soup should be tender but still firm enough to hold their shapes. -Vegetables should show a fresh color and not look like they were cooked too long. -This is especially true of green vegetables, which turn olive brown when overcooked.

Explain the process of Clarification:

-Some proteins, especially those called albumins (ex: egg whites), dissolve in cold water. -When the water is heated, they gradually solidify or coagulate and rise to the surface. -If we control this process carefully, these proteins collect all the tiny particles that cloud a stock and carry them to the surface. -The stock is then left perfectly clear.

Purée Soup

-Soups naturally thickened by puréeing one or more of their ingredients. -They are not as smooth and creamy as cream soups.

Cream Soup

-Soups thickened with roux, beurre manié, liaison, or other added thickening agents, plus milk and/or cream. -They are similar to velouté and béchamel sauces—in fact, they may be made by diluting and flavoring either of these two leading sauces.

Turtle Soup, Gumbo, Peanut Soup, and Cold Fruit Soup are all types of ______________ Soups.

-Specialty and/or National Soups -Specialty soups are distinguished by unusual ingredients or methods

Purée Soups are normally based on __________ ingredients.

-Starchy -They may be made from dried legumes (such as split pea soup) or from fresh vegetables with a starchy ingredient, such as potatoes or rice, added. -Purées may or may not contain milk or cream.

Like stock, broth can be made with water. For especially rich, flavorful broths, use:

-Stock or remouillage in place of water in the broth recipe.

Raft

-The coagulated clearmeat, floating in a solid mass on top of the consommé.

Why aren't broths specially made very often in food-service operations?

-The cost of the meat makes them expensive -Unless the meat can be used for another purpose, or unless the restaurant has a good supply of meat trimmings that might otherwise be wasted.

Coagulation

-The process by which proteins become firm, usually when heated.

Clarification

-The process of removing impurities from a liquid such as melted butter, meat stock, or vegetable stock. -This is usually accomplished by skimming the surface of the liquid as it is heated.

What's rule #1 for preparing Consommé?

-The stock or broth must be strong, rich, and full-flavored. -Clarification is second in importance to strength. -A good consommé, with a mellow but full aroma and plenty of body (from the natural gelatin) you can feel in your mouth, is one of the great pleasures of fine cuisine.

Why is it impossible to give a definition that covers all uses of a Bisque?

-The term bisque is sometimes used on menus for a variety of vegetable soups. -In these cases, it's really a marketing term rather than a technical term.

What could happen if you're not careful when Clarifying a Consommé?

-These proteins can break up as they coagulate and cloud the liquid even more, just as they can do when you make stock.

Broth and Bouillon

-These two terms used in many ways. -In general, they both refer to simple, clear soups without solid ingredients except, sometimes, with a small amount of garnish. -Broth is a flavorful liquid obtained from the simmering of meats and/or vegetables.

Toppings on Thick Soups:

-Thick soups, especially those that are all one color, are often decorated with a topping.

When making Cream Soups, don't combine milk and simmering soup stock without the presence of roux or other starch. Instead do one of the following:

-Thicken the stock before adding milk. -Thicken the milk before adding it to the soup.

Bisque

-Thickened soups made from shellfish. -They are usually prepared like cream soups and are almost always finished with cream.

Clarification is an expensive and time-consuming procedure and, frankly, not worth the trouble if the consommé is:

-Thin and watery

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you start with a clear, flavorful stock or broth?

-This is one reason it's important to be able to make stocks that are clear, not cloudy. -Generally, vegetable soups are a little cloudier than broths, because the vegetables are generally cooked in the soup. -The broth of the finished soup should be fairly clear.

When making a Vegetable Soup, why should you cook vegetables slowly in a little butter before combining with liquid?

-This process improves the flavor of the vegetables and gives the soup a mellower, richer taste.

What's an elegant way to serve soup with a solid garnish?

-To arrange the garnish attractively in the bottom of a heated soup plate. -This plate is set before the diner, and then the soup is ladled from a tureen by the dining room staff.

Why shouldn't you boil soups after milk or cream is added?

-To avoid curdling

In classical cuisine, what was necessary for a stock to be called a consommé?

-To be a strong, concentrated stock or broth. -In fact, two kinds were recognized: ordinary (or unclarified) consommé and clarified consommé.

What must you be sure of when making Vegetarian Vegetable Soups?

-To use high-quality ingredients and to avoid overcooking -Because the appeal of vegetarian vegetable soups depends entirely on the freshness and the quality of the vegetables and not on the richness of meat stocks.

Toppings on Soups:

-Toppings should be placed on the soup just before service so they won't sink or lose their fresh appearance. -Their flavors must be appropriate to the soup.

True or False: Broths can be served as is, with only seasoning and perhaps a light garnish added.

-True -For example, plain chicken broth is commonly served as a restorative for invalids. -More often, however, broths are used in place of stocks in vegetable soups and other clear soups.

True or False: When making a Cold Jellied Consommé, Gelatin may be added to clearmeat.

-True -This is the best method because there is no danger of clouding the consommé. -It may also be added to finished consommé after softening it in cold water.

Cold Jellied Consommé

-Unflavored gelatin must often be added to consommé to make jellied consommé. -Amount needed depends on the strength of the stock and amount of jelling desired. -For tomatoed consommé (madrilène), increase the gelatin slightly because the acidity of the tomatoes weakens the gelatin.

Chicken Consommé

-Use chicken stock instead of beef or veal stock. -Add to the clearmeat 8 oz chicken trimmings (such as wing tips and necks) that have been chopped and browned in a hot oven. -Omit tomato and add 1 fl oz lemon juice.

Double Consommé

-Use twice the quantity of beef in basic recipe. -Add 8 oz leeks to mirepoix.

How can Purée Soups be kept low in fat?

-Usually more adaptable than cream soups to low-fat diets because the vegetable purée adds body and richness to the soup without requiring added fat. -A little yogurt or evaporated skim milk can be used to give creaminess to a purée soup.

Most soups can be divided into two basic categories:

1. Clear or Unthickened Soups 2. Thick soups -Most of these soups, no matter what their final ingredients may be, are based on stock.

Soup garnishes may be divided into what three groups?

1. Garnishes in the Soup 2. Topping 3. Accompaniments

Emergency Procedures for Clarifying Hot Stock:

1. If you don't have time to cool the stock properly before clarifying, at least cool it as much as you can. -Even 10 minutes in a cold-water bath helps. 2. Then, mix ice cubes or crushed ice with the clearmeat. -This will help keep it from coagulating when the hot stock hits it. Proceed as in the basic method. 3. Review your production planning so you can avoid this emergency in the future.

Emergency Procedures for Clarifying without Meat:

1. In a pinch, you can clarify a stock with egg whites alone. -Use at least 3 or 4 egg whites per gallon stock, plus mirepoix if possible. -Great care is necessary because the raft will be fragile and easily broken up. 2. Egg whites and mirepoix alone are often used for clarifying fish stocks.

Emergency Procedures for a Poor Color in a Consommé:

1. It's possible to correct a pale consommé by adding a few drops of caramel color to the finished soup, but for best results, check the color of the stock before clarification. 2. If it is too pale, cut an onion in half and place it cut side down on a flattop range until it is black, or char it under a broiler. -Add this to the clearmeat. -The caramelized sugar of the onion will color the stock.

How should Soups be held for Service?

1. Small-batch cooking applies to soups as well as to other foods. -Heat small batches frequently to replenish the steam table with fresh soup. 2. Consommés and some other clear soups can be kept hot for longer periods if the vegetable garnish is heated separately and added at service time.

Procedure for Preparing Consommé

1. Start with a well-flavored, cold, strong stock or broth. -If your stock is weak, reduce it until it is concentrated enough, then cool it before proceeding, or plan on simmering the consommé longer to reduce while clarifying. 2. Select a heavy stockpot or soup pot, preferably one with a spigot at the bottom. -The spigot enables you to drain off the finished consommé without disturbing the raft. 3. Combine the clearmeat ingredients in the soup pot and mix them vigorously. 4. Optional step: Mix in a small amount of cold water or stock—4 to 8 oz per pound of meat—and let stand 30−60 minutes. -This allows more opportunity for the proteins that do the clarifying to dissolve out of the meat. (Note: Chefs disagree on the importance of this step. Some let the mixture stand overnight in the refrigerator. Others skip the step.) 5. Gradually add the cold, degreased stock and mix well with the clearmeat. -The stock must be cold so it doesn't cook the proteins on contact. -Mixing distributes the dissolved proteins throughout the stock so they can collect all the impurities more easily. 6. Set the pot over a moderately low fire and let it come to a simmer very slowly. 7. Stir the contents occasionally so the clearmeat circulates throughout the stock and doesn't burn to the bottom. 8. When the simmering point is approaching, stop stirring. -The clearmeat will rise to the surface and form a raft. 9. Move the pot to lower heat so the liquid maintains a slow simmer. -Do not cover. -Boiling would break up the raft and cloud the consommé. -The same principle operates in stockmaking. 10. Let simmer 1½ hours without disturbing the raft. 11. Strain the consommé through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth. -If you are not using a stockpot with a spigot, ladle the consommé out carefully without breaking up the raft. -Let the liquid drain through the cheesecloth by gravity. -Do not force it, or fine particles will pass through and cloud the consommé. 12. Degrease. -Remove all traces of fat from the surface. -Strips of clean brown paper passed across the surface are effective in absorbing every last speck of fat without absorbing much consommé. 13. Adjust the seasonings. -Kosher salt is preferred to regular table salt because it has no impurities or additives that could cloud the stock. 14. Evaluate the finished consommé.

Emergency Procedures for a Failed Clarification:

1. Strain the consommé, cool it as much as you can, then slowly add it to a mixture of ice cubes and egg whites. 2. Carefully return to a simmer as in the basic method and proceed with the clarification. -This should be done in emergencies only, as the ice cubes dilute the consommé, and the egg white clarification is risky.

How can a Consommé be saved if the clarification fails because you let it boil, or for some other reason, even if there's no time for another complete clarification?

1. Strain the consommé, cool it as much as you can, then slowly add it to a mixture of ice cubes and egg whites. 2. Carefully return to a simmer as in the basic method and proceed with the clarification. -This should be done in emergencies only, as the ice cubes dilute the consommé, and the egg white clarification is risky.