Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [81]
6 cups (1.51) Fish Stock (page 169)
1 leek, white part only, chopped
4½ ounces (125 g) skinless white fish fillet, chopped
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon dry white vermouth
Kosher salt
1. Place the cold stock into a large saucepan and heat it just until it liquefies. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
2. Place the leek and chopped fish in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the egg whites and 2 tablespoons water and blend until well mixed. Stir this mixture into the stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the saucepan to prevent the egg white from sticking. As the liquid approaches a boil, it will appear to curdle; don’t panic, that is what you want. As soon as the stock begins to boil, stop stirring, and remove the saucepan from the heat. The whites will form a congealed mass, which will puff up and then crack as the steam escapes.
3. Reduce the heat to very low, and return the saucepan to the heat, making a hole in the egg white mass with a spoon to allow the steam to escape. Simmer very gently—you want to see small bubbles of steam break the egg white mass—for 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Line a sieve with a double thickness of damp cheesecloth or a dampened thin cotton tea towel and place over a bowl. Using a skimmer or large slotted spoon, carefully lift off as much of the egg white mass as you can and set it aside in another bowl. Ladle the consommé into the sieve and allow it to drip slowly through the cloth. As you get closer to the bottom of the saucepan, you might notice that the clear consommé is being muddied by bits of egg white. Don’t worry, just add it to the sieve. Check the bowl with the egg white debris and pour any liquid that has escaped from it into the sieve. Allow the liquid to drip slowly through the sieve; don’t be tempted to press on the egg white, as that would cloud the consommé.
5. You will have about 5 cups (1.251) clear consommé in the bowl and a mess of congealed egg white to discard. Add the vermouth to the consommé and season with about ¼ teaspoon salt. Serve hot, or allow it to cool, then chill and serve cold. If you serve the consommé cold, you will probably need to boost the seasoning, as cold dulls the flavor.
Consommé Garnishes
Most garnishes for hot fish consommé should be added just before serving. Place them in the warmed soup bowls and ladle the hot consommé over. The exception is saffron, which is added to the hot stock in the saucepan.
ο Finely chopped herbs, such as chives, flat-leaf parsley, coriander, and dill
ο Shucked oysters, sliced cooked fish, or cooked shellfish such as shrimp or lobster
ο Small cooked pasta
ο Finely sliced or diced cooked vegetables
ο Saffron: Place the threads in a clean saucepan over medium heat and toast for 30 seconds, or until fragrant; add the fish consommé, and serve.
SINISTRAL AND DEXTRAL FISH
As noted earlier, flatfish begin life as round fish, then gradually transform, with one of their eyes moving around to the other side of their heads, so both are on the same side. Those with eyes on the left are called sinistral. This group includes turbot and brill. The dextral, or right-eyed fish, include flounder, halibut, plaice, and lemon and Dover sole. The placement of their eyes allows them to turn in only one direction, dextral fish to the right and sinistral to the left. Nature sometimes plays a cruel trick and a fish can suffer from reversal. This means that its eyes move the opposite way to the norm, resulting in, for example, sinistral rather than dextral flounder. This poor fish is doomed to swim in the opposite direction to all its relatives.
Tidal Pools
Aspic was traditionally used to preserve whole poached salmon or sliced meats that sat on buffet tables. By protecting the exposed surfaces, aspic prevented the food from drying out. Clear and sparkling, it looked great, but