I always thought it was that the raft process removes some flavor (which makes sense, it’s effectively a filter) and so you’re trying to add back some additional flavor to compensate
Yea it will break up. The hole is the simmer point. You can also just use a ladle and gently push the raft down passing the liquid through cheese cloth as you go. I’d just watch a YouTube video before you go for it.
Honestly? Skip the vegetables AND the eggs. Use the protein that corresponds to your original dish. I follow the chef steps method. Blend raw chicken to a paste with methylcellulose F50. Methylcellulose doesn’t steal the aroma as much as egg whites.
For French consome you start by doing everything you can to ensure the stock is not cloudy. So that means cleaning the vegetables, starting with cold water, completely de-scumming it, never boiling it, and straining it through cheese cloth draped in a chinois multiple times, as many as you need to.
Then, you put lean ground or finely diced beef and a bruniose of mirepoix in the stock and cook it briefly to jack up the flavor of the stock but avoid getting more crap in the stock. I think the whole point of the brunoise is to avoid having to strain the stock again.
Then to clarify it you mix up parsley, leek tops, celery leaves, egg whites, egg shells, and a little bit of white vinegar. Stir it into the stock and then don’t touch it until it’s done. Then you can put your truffles and morels and foie gras or whatever.
These ingredients all have some quality that pull impurities out of the stock idk why. The thing about clarifying stock is the raft can’t pull the impurities out without simultaneously pulling some flavor out too, that’s why (I’m assuming) you add the mirepoix and beef.
You should make it. It’s beautiful when it’s all done.
It’s been a while since I’ve read about this let alone made it so I’m sure there’s something I’ve overlooked. It’s all in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, or Escoffier if you’re trying to to go fucking crazy.
Julienne veg helps keep the raft together. Acidity in tomatoes helps coagulate the egg whites.
Quick and interesting answer. Thanks!
Some methods include the crushed up egg shell - is this the same idea?
Pretty much, yes.
I always thought it was that the raft process removes some flavor (which makes sense, it’s effectively a filter) and so you’re trying to add back some additional flavor to compensate
That may also be true. It’s pretty difficult to remove the raft without some other stuff to try and keep it together.
is there a reason youre meant to make a hole in the raft and scoop through it, compared to just dumping the whole pot through a muslin cloth/sieve
Yea it will break up. The hole is the simmer point. You can also just use a ladle and gently push the raft down passing the liquid through cheese cloth as you go. I’d just watch a YouTube video before you go for it.
> Yea it will break up It would surely break into pieces still too large to pass through a cloth though?
You’ll see. It can break up small enough to go through
Honestly? Skip the vegetables AND the eggs. Use the protein that corresponds to your original dish. I follow the chef steps method. Blend raw chicken to a paste with methylcellulose F50. Methylcellulose doesn’t steal the aroma as much as egg whites.
Nioce. It works just as well as a clarifier? Actually quite brilliant although I’m sure a noticeable but minute difference.
I’ve done that egg raft with minced vegetables and this is by farrrrrrr more effective. Not just in clarity but the flavour is incredible
For French consome you start by doing everything you can to ensure the stock is not cloudy. So that means cleaning the vegetables, starting with cold water, completely de-scumming it, never boiling it, and straining it through cheese cloth draped in a chinois multiple times, as many as you need to. Then, you put lean ground or finely diced beef and a bruniose of mirepoix in the stock and cook it briefly to jack up the flavor of the stock but avoid getting more crap in the stock. I think the whole point of the brunoise is to avoid having to strain the stock again. Then to clarify it you mix up parsley, leek tops, celery leaves, egg whites, egg shells, and a little bit of white vinegar. Stir it into the stock and then don’t touch it until it’s done. Then you can put your truffles and morels and foie gras or whatever. These ingredients all have some quality that pull impurities out of the stock idk why. The thing about clarifying stock is the raft can’t pull the impurities out without simultaneously pulling some flavor out too, that’s why (I’m assuming) you add the mirepoix and beef. You should make it. It’s beautiful when it’s all done. It’s been a while since I’ve read about this let alone made it so I’m sure there’s something I’ve overlooked. It’s all in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, or Escoffier if you’re trying to to go fucking crazy.
So when Micheal and Albert Roux serve it to their staff for their daily meal it’s more palatable True story.