Who is who in soups

The foundation of any good soup is either broth, stock, bouillon or consommé. So what's

the difference between these four? Not a great deal. They are all liquid end-products that absorb

most of the flavor from the original food—meats, vegetables (or even stones if you're making

stone soup). The differences in the four are strength, concentration and clarity. Here is your

guide to this mysterious jargon.

Broth is what you end up with when your main ingredient is meat, fish or poultry, with

vegetables and spices acting only as flavorings. Broth has a full, rich flavor.

Bouillonis the French term for meat broth. Beef bouillon and beef broth are the same thing.

Stock is somewhat lighter, more predominantly vegetable-flavored and is made from

whatever is available. Some meat or bones may be part of the solids. Stock is also very

flavorful. You can serve a stock as is, adding little more than few fresh vegetables or noodles

and garnish. It is also popular as a base for more complex soups, stews and sauces.

Consommé is a broth that has been clarified to the transparency of tea. The idea is to develop

an even more intense flavor than in broth. The demand for crystal clarity makes it hard to

prepare it successfully. Here are some tricks chefs use to prevent cloudiness, and to clarify a

broth once it has clouded. They are not difficult to do by home cooks though they take a little

time.

1. Whisk a small amount of the hot stock into beaten egg whites. Add this mixture to the

completely fat-free stock and bring slowly to a simmer, stirring occasionally to disperse the egg

whites throughout. Over a few minutes' time, the egg whites collect the sediments in the stock

and rise to the surface. Now you can filter the egg whites through a cheesecloth. Be careful. If

the stock comes to a boil, it may cloud up again.

2. You can also add lean ground beef or broken-up egg shells to the stock, bring it to a

simmer, then filter as above. The beef adds extra flavor, but the egg shells only help to clear

sediments.

Serving a cupful of clear, cloudless, incredibly tasty hot liquid with nothing added

provides a first course that few others can satisfy. It is a fabulous start for a formal meal, and that

is exactly what consommé’s place is in the meal.

A double consommé has an even more intense, luxuriously rich flavor. To prepare this, cook

fresh meat and vegetables in a previously prepared broth, then clarify it. This is now in the

professional chef’s arena.

We inherited this complex terminology from the classic French culinary art in which the

distinction between a broth and a stock was important. Being a stickler to precise terminology in

nouvelle cuisine is no longer as important. The huge array of classic French sauces is hardly ever

used outside the milieu of French cookery, and whether you produce a stock or a broth matters

little, as long as it results in a superb soup. The term broth, however, is used less today in

preference to stock, whatever the base of the resulting liquid.

While we are with terminology, let's identify some other common soup terms:

Purées. You pass both liquid and solid through a blender, food processor or food mill,

ending up with the same flavor but an altogether different consistency and mouthfeel. If you

have served the same soup twice already and still have leftovers, purée and add a fresh

garnish. You created a new soup with little effort. A blender produces a very fine purée, like

baby food. A food processor doesn't purée quite that fine and food mills vary depending what

Serious Kitchen Play