The Daring Cooks: Stock, Soup, Consommé

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. 

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.