CONSOMME JULIENNE

Consomme is a classic recipe that looks simple but is in fact rather demanding when it comes to doing it right. I was in Beijing with the Derby crew for the Margaux Charity Wine Auction Dinner, as Chef Donovan's 'interpretor' when I saw it done up close, for the first time. Chef Cham took me through the steps and I told myself, I must try that, one day. That 'one day' was last week, during our soup & bisque orientation. I did it.

We start with whisking egg whites and cold Fond Blanc or White Stock, before mixing with minced beef in gloved hands, until we get this rather unappetizing slush with remnants of raw beef in it. Kaya, our Labradoodle, would kill for this plate. Next comes the finely chopped carrot, leek & celery, or Brunoise, as the French have a word for literally, everything, when it comes to cooking. Oh, I almost forgot ... we need half an onion that is to be 'colored', face down, in a grease-less pan until it turns dark brown, but not burned. All of the above will be mixed together and rest for 15 minutes. 1.6 litres of Fond Blanc is added, then bringing to just boiling point. 'Use a spatula to clean the edges before boiling, but never more than 3 times, make certain the bottom of the pan is kept clean .....' orders Chef John. Then there is the technique of placing the pan in different angles over the heat, but never on the heat, a must apparently. Now the magic! Who ever came up with this MoC ie Method of Cooking, should be awarded a Nobel in Culinary Arts. Out of nowhere that slush begins to form a shield, called a 'float' or a 'raft', at the top of the liquid. It is like the 3rd trimester of a pregnancy, the consomme is about to be born. She must not be disturbed, except rotating the pan over heat. 2 hours of simmering later we gingerly break the shield with a ladle, voila, beautiful steaming hot consomme!

This is by no means the end of the story. 'You will be assessed on (1) clarity (2) absence of oil or grease (3) flavor (4) garnish of very fine Julienne (hence the name of the dish) of leek & carrots'. Seasoning means salt - never black pepper which will spoil the clarity - and we have to strain it with double muslin cloth & double layers of kitchen paper to rid even a slightest trace of oil. We kept our heads down, with our sharpest knives, to julienne. Chef John liked the flavor, did not detect any oil, accepted the clarity, suggested even finer juliennes next time. I felt like I just won the lottery. Me, the 'wannabe' who can hardly cook, passed the Beef Consomme test!