Consommé à la Portugaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart (2.8 L) heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Large square of washed, unperfumed muslin
• •Blender or food mill, if making the raw tomato purée
• •Large bowl and ice bath

Instructions

1. 1

   Measure the tomatoes

   Measure the raw tomato purée and tomato juice separately. If making the purée from whole ripe tomatoes, core them, pulse only until liquid, and pass the pulp through a fine sieve to remove skins and seeds without cooking it. Measure the cup after sieving. The ratio matters here: one part purée to one-half part juice for six parts consommé.

   Use tomatoes that smell ripe before you cut them. This is one dish that belongs to good tomato weather; canned tomatoes are splendid in a braise, but their cooked character changes this cold consommé.
2. 2

   Warm the consommé

   Pour the finished consommé into a 3-quart heavy saucepan and warm it gently to about 170°F (77°C), well below a simmer. Add the raw tomato purée and tomato juice, then stir slowly just until evenly dispersed. Do not whisk. Whisking traps air and agitates the pulp, neither of which helps a clear broth.

3. 3

   Cook beneath the lid

   Cover the saucepan and hold the mixture between 175°F and 185°F (79°C and 85°C) for twenty minutes, beginning the timing once it has returned to temperature. The surface must remain still, without bubbles breaking through it. If bubbling begins, lift the pan from the heat immediately, uncover it until the surface settles, then cover and finish the remaining time over the smallest burner. The clarity may soften slightly, but the consommé is not lost.

4. 4

   Strain through muslin

   Rinse the muslin in cold water, wring it well, and use it to line a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl. Pour in the consommé gently and let gravity do most of the work. When only tomato pulp remains, press it once or twice with the back of a spoon, lightly enough to release broth without forcing solids through the cloth. If the liquid begins to cloud, stop pressing and pass it through fresh damp muslin under its own weight. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Season and chill

   Stir the small pinch of cayenne into the strained consommé while it is still warm. It should leave gentle warmth at the finish, never announce itself as heat; do not add salt by reflex, because the finished consommé should already carry its seasoning. Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir occasionally until thoroughly cold, then cover and refrigerate for at least four hours. Serve very cold in chilled cups, pouring gently so any fine sediment remains behind. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The finished consommé is the foundation and remains its own preparation. Use one with a clean, concentrated flavor and real clarity; this brief recipe perfumes it with tomato, but cannot repair a weak or greasy base.
• •Wash the muslin without scented detergent or fabric softener. Dampen and wring it before straining so the cloth absorbs less consommé and lies smoothly inside the sieve.
• •Cold mutes seasoning, but cayenne grows more noticeable as it rests. Begin with the prescribed small pinch and keep the finish restrained. Tomato should remain the first impression.
• •Serve this before a fish or poultry course, in portions of about 1 cup (240 ml). A dry, mineral white wine suits it, but the consommé needs no garnish and no decoration.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare and chill the finished consommé up to two days before adding the tomato. Warm only the measured amount needed for this recipe.
• •The completed Consommé à la Portugaise can be made the day before serving. Keep it covered and refrigerated, then decant gently rather than stirring up any sediment.
• •Chill the serving cups for at least thirty minutes. Keep the consommé refrigerated until the moment it goes to the table; pouring it over ice would dilute the clarity and flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)