Autumn Consommé

Directions

Preheat your oven 400 degrees.

1. Start by spreading the chicken wings across a large roasting pan in a single layer. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil across the top to promote browning. Roast the chicken wings for 90 minutes, rotating the roasting pan every 30 minutes.

2. While the chicken is roasting, trim off the root end of the onion and cut it into quarters, leaving the peel on. In a small sauté pan, burn/char the both of the cut sides of the onion quarters over high heat. Once both of the cut sides of the onion quarters have a deep sear, set them aside. Rinse and scrub the carrots and celery and cut in half lengthwise. Set aside with the onion. Lastly, assemble a bouquet garni by cutting a large square of cheesecloth and placing the thyme, rosemary, sage, peppercorns and allspice berries into the center. Gather the corners to the center and tie off with a piece of butcher’s twine.

3. When the chicken is done roasting, combine the browned chicken wings, burnt onions, carrots, celery and bouquet garni into a large 10 – 12 quart stock pot. Pour the unsalted chicken broth or stock over the chicken and vegetables and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow stock to simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours, skimming any foam that rises to the top every 15 minutes or so. Over the course of the simmer, the liquid will reduce from 6 quarts to 4 quarts. Strain the double stock through a fine mesh strainer or chinois and set aside to cool for an hour before allowing to chill overnight. If you’re in a pinch, you can put your stock in your sink and fill around it with ice to rapidly chill the stock. It’s necessary for the stock to be chilled in order to achieve the best clarity in the next step.

4. Separate the whites from eight eggs and whisk for about 30 seconds to get them frothy. Mix in the ground beef and julienned vegetables and thoroughly combine with your hands. Combine the double stock and ground beef mixture into a stock pot and begin to warm it up over medium-high heat. You’ll want to stir fairly continuously in this stage to avoid anything sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the liquid gets around 120 degrees, the ground beef mixture will begin to float to the top and form a “clarifying raft.” Using your thermometer begin to carve a hole in the center of the raft.

5. Dip a small ladle into the hole you’ve created and begin basting the raft. This will keep it from drying out and will also aide in the clarification process. Do not allow the liquid to warm past a gentle simmer and continue to ladle for 45 minutes to an hour. Once the consommé has been clarified, begin to pour ladlesful of the liquid through a chinois lined with cheesecloth into a larger container. Continue in this way until you’ve gotten all of the liquid out of the pot. Discard the “raft.” At this point you can transfer the consommé to another sauce pot and keep warm. You can now add salt to the liquid to get the appropriate seasoning. To get even more clarity in the consommé, allow to cool completely and skim off any fat that forms at the top.

6. To make the garnish, cut the butternut squash and sunchokes into small cubes and quarter the pearl onions. Trim off the ends of the brussels that attach to the stalk and begin to break apart the leaves. Once your veggies are ready, melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the onions, sunchokes and squash. When the veggies are about a minute away from being finished, add the brussels sprout leaves to soften and brown them. Spoon a small amount of the garnish into the center of a wide bowl and serve the consommé tableside to allow your guests to appreciate the clear broth as you pour it into their bowls. Serve warm with a big spoon.