September 14, 2011

The Daring Cooks: Stock, Soup, Consommé

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Pig Tail Sinigang
Filipino pig tail sour soup

Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook's September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”.  We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

The recipes are here.

I've never made consommé before but thanks to Peta and this month's challenge, I now have and enjoyed the process. Preparation of consommé is not complicated but there are several steps [including making the stock which is part of the challenge], not to mention lots of kitchen towels for straining the stock. I used the egg white method for both the chicken and beef consommé. I can't believe my eyes when the cloudy stock became clear. Consommé has to be adequately seasoned though because it loses some of the flavor when clarified.

from chicken stock to consommé 


chicken feet and necks for the chicken consomme,
 roasted beef bones with meat and vegetables for beef consomme,
countless numbers of kitchen towels for straining stock 

We were also asked to prepare bread or crackers to go with our soups. I baked a brioche filled with sauteed chopped baby rainbow Swiss chard, garlic, and onion, and grated Parmesan cheese to go with a simple beef consommé and cubed savory egg custard. 

Consomme With Savory Egg Custard
Brioche Filled With Sauteed Baby Swiss Chard

Savory Egg Custard
3 eggs, well beaten
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon finely minced scallion, white part only
  • Mix all ingredients and pour into a lightly greased 6 x 4 inch pan. Place on a steamer and steam over boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, transfer into a chopping board; cut into half-inch cubes.
For the Filipino pig tail sour soup, I added some beef stock to the strained pig tail stock. I used tamarind paste to sour the soup and added my favorite vegetables. We usually eat this soup on top of a bowl of hot steamed rice with extra fish extract on the side. 

Pig Tail Sinigang Soup
stock
2½ pounds pig tails, cut into 6 inch sections
1 onion, quartered.
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces
2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into 3 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorn
1 tablespoon sea salt
water

soup
3 cups strained pig tail stock
1½ cups prepared beef stock
¼ cup tamarind past
1 tablespoon fish extract
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
3 large tomatoes, quartered
2 Asian eggplants, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small daikon, sliced
2 cups of water spinach leaves
2 medium-hot green finger chiles
  • Stock: In a sheet pan, mix ingredients except water, and roast in a 400°F oven until pig tails and vegetables are golden brown. Transfer into a large pot, add water topping 2 inches; bring to a boil, turn heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer until tails are tender. Remove tails to a large plate and leave until cool enough to handle. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Strain the broth, discard vegetables, and reserve 3 cups of the stock. 
  • Soup: Return the pig tails and stock to the pot, add the beef stock, tamarind paste, tomatoes, and fish extract. Taste the soup and add salt if needed. Let come to a boil, add vegetables, and boil until tender. Serve while hot.

12 comments:

Ruth H. said...

Great job on the consomme! And those egg custards look really good, too. Can they be done with veggie stock or do they lose something in the "translation?" Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Audax said...

Your consommé looks so clear and the colour is so deep well done and the Pig tail soup is amazing I love offal dishes it sounds like a winner to me. Great photos as well, wonderful results. It is great to know how to do the egg white method for clarifying soup. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

The Garlic Press said...

Your consomme is gorgeously clear, and I love the idea of serving it with cubes of egg custard!

chef_d said...

I was so inspired by your sinigang when I saw it at the DK forum...so delicious looking! Both your consomme look perfect and the bread too. Excellent job!

David and Stacy said...

Yes, it is exciting (and surprising) when you get to see the clear results magically appear.

The final products look great, well done.

Stay JOLLY!
D&S

Oggi said...

Thanks all.:)

Ruth, yes, vegetable stock will work great.

Audax, thank you for your input; it was great help.:)

The Garlic Press, I wanted something light and the custard cubes were perfect.

D, it's better than pork belly as the tail isn't too fatty and more flavorful too.

David and Stacy, I was skeptical at first but when I saw the clear broth emerging, I agree it was exciting.:)

shelley c. said...

Wow - you did such an amazing job. And can I just say how absolutely perfect that braided brioche looks??? Stunning. Marvelous work clarifying your stock - I am super impressed.

Andy said...

That looks fabulous, your consomme is so clear.

Jo said...

My sister loves sinigang! I will have to send her your recipe, great job on the challenge!

Unknown said...

You did a great job. I love the bread you made.

Guia Obsum said...

I love the brioche! Sounds and looks wonderful1 :)

4pure by Andrea said...

You're photo's look fabulous. The consommé worked great for you.

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