No. 187

Clear Bouillon

Bouillon Clair

There is nothing that resembles consomme more than clarified bouillon, and if it does not entirely take its place as regards quality, still it is often used instead. Clarified bouillon is in reality only an imitation of consomme, it is equally true that with care it can easily be prepared in excellent conditions, the principal one being to operate with good bouillon, either of chicken, beef or game, etc. To obtain clear bouillon, only lean meats must be used for clarification; in order to obtain four quarts of bouillon, have one pound of lean beef free of all fat and nerves, chop it finely, and mix in with it, two raw eggs and one pint of cold bouillon; place the strained bouillon on the fire, skimmed free of all its fat, and when it reaches boiling point, pour into it the clarification, beating it well with a whip. As soon as the bouillon boils, keep it to the same degree of heat without allowing it to boil, for one hour; skim the fat off, season with salt and a little sugar, and color it with caramel (No.18), then remove and strain through a wet napkin stretched and fastened to the four legs of a kitchen stool (Fig. 99), or else a silk sieve. These bouillons are to be served with garnishings of Italian pastes and farinas, also garnishings of vegetables, etc., for various soups.

← No. 186 Care to Be Taken While Preparing Broth Soups & Broths No. 188 White Chicken Bouillon or Broth →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer is describing the classic raft clarification, and everything depends on temperature control. Read the heat instruction first; the rest is detail.

The hinge: never let it boilThe text says to bring the bouillon to a boil, add the clarification, then "keep it to the same degree of heat without allowing it to boil" for an hour. In practice that means holding it at a bare shiver, well below a simmer, so the raft sets and floats. A rolling boil breaks the coagulated protein apart and drives the cloud back into the liquid, which then takes a second clarification to fix.
Four quarts, and what it makesThe proportions are one pound of lean beef and two eggs per four quarts of bouillon, plus a pint of cold stock to loosen the mixture. Some volume is lost to the raft and to the straining cloth.
"Free of all nerves"Nineteenth-century butchering language for silverskin, sinew and connective tissue. Trim it away; it will not dissolve and contributes nothing to clarification. The text asks only for lean beef, finely chopped.
Two raw eggsWhole eggs here, not just whites, though modern kitchens usually use whites alone since the yolk fat works against clarity. If you follow the original exactly, be scrupulous about skimming the fat afterward.
Skim the stock firstThe instruction to strain and defat the bouillon before clarifying is not optional. Fat coats the egg protein and prevents it from netting the fine particles. Chill the stock and lift the solid cap if you have time.
Caramel, No. 18That cross-reference is to plain burnt-sugar coloring, sugar cooked dark and let down with water, used purely for tint. Modern gravy browning does the same job. Add it drop by drop at the end; too much brings bitterness.
The napkin and the kitchen stoolRanhofer's rig is a napkin stretched and fastened to the four legs of a stool with a pot beneath; he gives a silk sieve as the alternative. A large sieve lined with two layers of damp, rinsed muslin does the same thing. Wet the cloth first, as he specifies, and let it drip rather than pressing it.
The salt-and-sugar seasoningThe text calls for salt and a little sugar. Add the sugar sparingly; it should not read as sweet.
ServingHe intends it as the base for garnished soups: small pasta shapes, tapioca or semolina, or a fine julienne of vegetables cooked separately and added at the last moment so the broth stays clear.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's summation of some thirty years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and its soup chapter moves among broth, bouillon, and consommé, each more rigorously clarified than the last. Ranhofer is unusually candid here in admitting that clarified bouillon is "in reality only an imitation of consommé" — a true consommé is built on a doubled, fortified stock, while this is ordinary bouillon rescued into brilliance by an egg-and-meat raft. The technique itself long predates him; clarifying broth with egg and chopped lean meat is described in French cookery texts from the eighteenth century onward, and the raft works on the simple principle that egg protein coagulating slowly through a liquid traps suspended particles as it rises.