Consommé aux Profiterolles

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large rimmed baking sheet
• •Wire cooling rack
• •3-quart (2.8 L) heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh skimmer and ladle
• •2½-quart (2.4 L) covered soup tureen or heatproof serving pitcher
• •Ten shallow 8-ounce (240 ml) soup bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Dry the profiterolles

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread the 40 Profiterolles for Soups (No. 218) on a baking sheet without crowding them. Freshly baked, fully cooled shells need only be checked; stored shells should return to the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until their surfaces are firm and they sound hollow when tapped. Cool them completely on a wire rack. Warm shells can seem crisp while remaining damp inside, so judge them only after cooling. If one dents or feels leathery, bake the batch for another 5 minutes and cool again. Ça se rattrape.

   Bone-dry is not decorative language here. A properly dried shell feels extraordinarily light and keeps its shape when handled; any lingering interior moisture shortens its crisp life in the broth.
2. 2

   Warm the service

   While the shells cool, warm ten shallow soup bowls and a 2½-quart soupière, the covered soup tureen, with hot water. Drain and dry them thoroughly just before service. Warm porcelain protects the consommé's temperature, but every bowl must be dry before the profiterolles enter it.

3. 3

   Heat without boiling

   Pour the chicken consommé into a clean 3-quart saucepan and heat it gently until the surface shimmers and tiny bubbles gather at the rim, about 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C). Do not reduce it or let it roll at a boil; the broth is already finished, and rough heat can disturb its fat and dull its clarity. Skim the surface quietly if necessary. If it boils, remove it from the heat at once, leave it untouched for 2 minutes, then skim and pass it slowly through damp muslin if disturbed fat remains.

   The consommé should remain limpid enough that the bowl's pattern or the curve of a spoon stays visible beneath it. Stirring and vigorous boiling add nothing now.
4. 4

   Join at the table

   Transfer the hot consommé to the warmed soupière and cover it. Once everyone is seated, place exactly four dry profiterolles in each warm bowl. Ladle about 6½ fluid ounces (190 ml) of consommé around them, letting the broth rise rather than striking the shells directly. Serve each bowl immediately, with no garnish and no waiting. The moment broth touches choux, the clock begins. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This recipe begins with finished consommé because that is what the source requires. Clear chicken stock is not automatically consommé; the broth should be fully clarified, free of surface fat, and concentrated enough to taste complete without further reduction.
• •Count four shells per person before service. Their intended size is a large hazelnut, not a walnut; the small proportion gives each guest several crisp encounters without turning the bowl into a bread course.
• •The source also permits walnut-sized shells filled with chicken or foie gras purée, but that is a richer variation with a different balance. For this service, keep all forty shells small, plain, and very dry.
• •No parsley, chives, or decorative leaves. They interrupt the consommé's clarity and are absent from the preparation. A dry Champagne suits the special-occasion table without overwhelming the chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •The timing begins with the finished chicken consommé and Profiterolles for Soups (No. 218) ready, preserving the source's separation of its component recipes.
• •The consommé can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, cooled rapidly, covered, and refrigerated. Remove every trace of set fat while cold, then reheat it gently for service.
• •The profiterolles can be baked and dried a day ahead. Cool them completely before sealing them in an airtight container at room temperature, then refresh them in the low oven before dinner.
• •Set out the bowls, tureen, ladle, and wire rack before guests arrive. Final heating and assembly take about 15 minutes, but the shells must not meet the broth until everyone is seated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)