Best 4 Egg Raft For Clarifying Cloudy Stock Recipes

CREATING A CONSOMMé WITH A RAFT

Steps:

• 1. Chef's Note: The ingredients chosen for the raft will add flavor to the stock. For example, the choice of chicken thighs over white meat, will deepen the flavors in the stock, but will also create a darker consommé, which may not be desirable.
• 2. Chef's Note: You will need about 2.5 quarts of good, fresh chicken stock for this recipe. I usually make the chicken stock the day before, let cool in the refrigerator, and then build the raft the following day. My Hearty Chicken Stock recipe would be excellent for this consommé.
• 3. Combine the ground chicken and egg whites in a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Chef's Note: A food processor is not a must have... An alternate would be to use a large mixing bowl, and beat away.
• 4. Add the chopped tomato, a good pinch of salt, and continue to beat away. Chef's Note: Why all the Beating? The agitation, plus the salt, and the acid in the tomato will denature the proteins, and that's essential to making the raft work properly.
• 5. Add the chopped onion, leek, celery, parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, garlic, and peppercorns. Continue to beat until fully combined. The resulting mixture should resemble a big gloppy mess. Chef's Note: If you're using a mixing bowl, you'll want to beat for another 2 minutes... If you're using a food processor, about 30 seconds.
• 6. In a large pot, stir the mixture into the cold chicken stock, and then bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Chef's Note: This is your first test. If you don't keep the mixture active, it will stick to the bottom on the pot and burn... After it begins to boil, the mixture will float off the bottom of the pot, and you'll be safe.
• 7. When the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring, or you'll break the raft. Move the pot slightly off center of your burner, so that it's only boiling on one side. Allow it to boil over the raft, pushing it to the far side of the pot. This leaves an area of the boiling liquid exposed to that you can see the progress of the clarification.
• 8. Turn the heat to low, and keep the stock simmering. Chef's Note: During this time, you should taste and season. Salting at the end just makes it taste salty, salting while it's simmering makes is taste seasoned.
• 9. Continue to simmer for forty-five minutes to an hour and a half, or until the stock is perfectly clear.
• 10. Remove from the burner, and then strain the stock. Chef's Note: This is your second and last test... How to remove the clear liquid from the raft without breaking it. If you break it, will have to throw it away and begin the process all over.
• 11. Chef's Note: Straining Method # 1: Take the pot off the heat and wait about 15 minutes. As the liquid cools, the raft will quietly settle to the bottom. You can then carefully ladle the consommé through a fine-mesh sieve, lined with cheesecloth.
• 12. Chef's Note: Straining Method #2: Use the bowl of a ladle to carefully push the raft to the bottom, and then strain the golden liquid, as suggested in Method #1.
• 13. Plate/Present A good consommé in a nice clean white bowl with a few veggies makes for an excellent starter, at any meal.
• 14. Final Thoughts: A good four hours to make the stock, and another two hours to make the consommé... that's a lot of time, and effort. And let's not forget all the ingredients. Since the process takes so much time (but it's worth it), I usually increase the recipe to make a gallon, and freeze what I don't use. I use these ziplock containers, and it keeps for 4 months.

CHICKEN CONSOMME: BASIC CLARIFICATION

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ground meat with the onions, leeks, celery, carrots, thyme, tarragon, parsley, garlic, and black pepper. Puree on high speed.
• In a bowl, combine the egg whites with the pureed meat mixture. Stir well to blend.
• Place the stock in a large pot and add the "raft" (the pureed meat-egg white mixture). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent the raft from sticking to the bottom and sides of the pot. (Once the stock has come to a boil, do not stir again.) Reduce to a simmer and puncture a hole in the center of the raft for the stock to circulate through and clarify. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Gently poke a hole in the raft large enough to fit a ladle. With a ladle, gently scoop out the consomme into a clean pot or bowl. Strain through a layer of cheesecloth to finish clarifying.
• Serve hot with desired garnish. Alternatively, transfer consomme to a shallow bowl or roasting pan and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, covering with plastic wrap only when the consomme is cool enough that no condensation forms on the plastic. When the consomme is completely cooled, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes and divide between consomme cups. Garnish with sour cream, chopped chives, and a lemon slice and serve with toast points.

EGG RAFT FOR CLARIFYING CLOUDY STOCK

Steps:

• Filter your stock as much as possible. There should be no solid residues in it. Like small pieces of meat, spices, skin, etc. Warm the stock slowly in a thick bottomed saucepan.
• Beat the egg whites with water and the acid.
• Crush the eggshells and whisk them into the egg mixture.
• Mix the egg whites into the stock, turn up the heat and bring it all to a boil.
• Turn down the heat when it boils and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
• Take the stock of the heat and let it cool for about fifteen minutes.
• There should now be a raft of stiffened egg whites on top of the stock and the stock should be more clear.
• Sieve the stock gently through a sieve lined with damp cheesecloth. If possible, use a sauce ladle to scoop it carefully into the sieve instead of pouring it. Avoid getting egg white with over the edge of the sieve.
• Author's Notes:.
• The easiest way to get a clear stock is to avoid it being unclear to begin with.
• Use raw pieces of meat. Unfortunately that is impossible when you make a dark stock so --
• Don't crack the bones.
• Never let the stock boil. Only weak bubbles and simmering. Boiling emulsifies the fat from the meat and binds it to the water.
• Only boil the vegetables along for the last hour. When the vegetables are soft, they begin to fall apart. This also makes the stock unclear.
• [This is the real difference when you clarify stock. no film tricks here -- ].

HOMEMADE STOCK

Steps:

• Save a gallon freezer bag in your freezer.
• Wash all stock ingredients well before peeling.
• As you use your vegetables, chicken, or beef, save the peels, ends, leaves, skins, wing tips etc and place them in separate bags in your freezer. Keep a vegetable bag, a chicken bag and a beef bag. Your vegetable bag will fill the fastest and beef the slowest.
• Once you have a full bag of mixed vegetables, place them all in a large stockpot or a crock pot.
• Pour the water over your ingredients and add the bay leaf, peppercorns and any other herb or spice that you desire.
• If you don't have much garlic or parsley in your freezer bag, then add more if desired. If you have too much, it is not necessary to use it all. Just use what you desire for the flavor you wish to achieve.
• If making meat stock, add meat pieces and bones to the vegetables.
• If using a stockpot, bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until vegetables are very soft.
• If using a crock pot, cover and cook on low overnight or for 6 to 8 hours.
• Strain stock through a colander to remove vegetables and herbs.
• Strain stock again through doubled layers of cheesecloth to remove all other small particles if desired.
• Stock can be reduced even further if desired or place in quart freezer bags, date and note the contents.
• Stock can be kept up to 6 months in your freezer.
• For Vegetarian and Vegan omit the beef and chicken.