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Cold Celery Broth
Have two medium stalks of fresh celery, thoroughly wash in cold water, drain and finely slice, then place in a saucepan with one and a half pounds finely chopped lean shin of beef, two branches well-cleaned parsley, a branch chervil and a few branches chives, adding whites of two eggs. Season with two teaspoons salt, stir with a wooden spoon for three minutes, then gradually pour in two quarts water and constantly stir while adding. Place pan on the open fire, continually mix till it comes to a boil, shift the pan to a corner of range and let very slowly simmer for one and a half hours, strain the broth through cheesecloth into a stone vessel, let thoroughly cool off, pour into six cups and serve.
This is a clarified beef consommé flavoured with celery and fine herbs, served chilled. The clarification is the whole point of the method, and it is easy to undo in the last five minutes.
- "Two medium stalks of celery"In this period "stalk" was often used for the whole head rather than a single rib, though usage varied. Two medium heads, trimmed of the coarsest outer ribs and well washed, is the likelier reading; two ribs would give very little flavour to two quarts of liquid.
- Shin of beefAsk a butcher for beef shin (foreshank), meat off the bone, and grind or chop it fine. The gelatine and connective tissue are what give the cold broth its body. Lean stewing beef works but sets less well.
- The egg whites are the hingeThe whites, mixed cold into the raw meat and vegetables before any water goes in, are the clarifying raft. Stir constantly only until the pot reaches a boil, then stop touching it entirely. Once the raft forms and rises, any stirring breaks it up and the broth turns cloudy for good.
- "Shift the pan to a corner of range"On a coal range the cooler end of the top held a bare simmer. On a modern hob that is the lowest setting, with the lid off and the surface barely trembling — no rolling bubbles.
- StrainingLadle the broth out through cheesecloth rather than pouring the pot, and do not press the raft. Line a sieve with two layers of damp cheesecloth and let it drip.
- "A stone vessel"Glazed earthenware or stoneware, used because it does not react with the broth and cools evenly. Any non-reactive bowl serves. Cool it quickly — an ice-water bath, then refrigerate — rather than leaving it out for hours as the original assumes.
- Chervil and chivesChervil is still sold fresh in some markets and is worth seeking; its anise note is central here. A little tarragon plus extra parsley is the usual substitute. Add all herbs as whole branches so they strain out cleanly.
- Seasoning coldTwo teaspoons salt is judged for a hot broth. Cold liquid tastes flatter, so taste and correct after chilling.
- YieldSix cups, as stated — six small servings. Expect it to set to a light jelly in the refrigerator if the shin was gelatinous; stir it smooth or serve it as is.
Cold clarified broth of this kind belongs to the French consommé tradition of European hotel cookery around 1900, and this book presents it as basic technique rather than a novelty. The egg-white raft method is documented in professional kitchens well before the nineteenth century, and it survives essentially unchanged in classical training today. Serving the result cold was fashionable summer food in the era before mechanical refrigeration was universal: a household with an icebox could offer jellied or chilled soup as a small display of means.