[Jonathan]

Michael Ruhlman (The Making of a Chef) talks about a chef at the Culinary Institute of America making a "self clarifying" consommé, one that comes out clear and doesn't require clarification with eggwhites. But he doesn't explain how this is done, and the latest books from the CIA don't talk about it.

I have never had a problem clarifying stocks in the usual way, in small quantities and large, but would love to know how to do a self-clarifying version. I usually do stocks in an oven (an Aga cooker), not on a burner, at a very very low simmer, and they come out flavourful and clear, but not consommé-clear (the famous "read the date on a dime at the bottom of a gallon" clear). That requires eggwhites and a raft.

Does anyone know how to make self-clarifying consommé?

[ShawtyCat]

Why dont you email Michael Ruhlman and ask him. Here's his email:

michael@ruhlman.com

Shawty

[riverrun]

i graduated from the CIA and i think what they mean by a self clarifiyng consomme is that they use blood to do it. When making consomme u use a course grind of the meat to add flavor along with mire poix, U don't have to use egg whit to clarify it u can use blood because the blood also coagulates and causes a raft. If U use the freshest of meat u may not need egg whites to clarify the blood will do it for u after all all it is is protein.
Note though u need fresh blood to do it.

[isaac]

hey... i graduated the cia too! small world!

yes, you can clarifiy with fresh blood but it really needs to be fresh blood or it wont turn out. you can also clarifiy by just using whipped egg whites. just heat up your looked to about but still uder a simmer and whip up your egg whites in a bowl until almost soft peaks. add the egg whites into the liquid and let simmer. it should form a raft. let it go for a short time and then strain. to add in helping the protien in the whites, you can use veffies that are thinly sliced. that helps "trap" the particals.

hope this helps

[kokopuffs]

What fresh blood and egg whites have in common is albumin, a very important protein. It's called, in medical terms, a carrier protein in that it transports lots of things to various parts of the body. And as you already, it coagulates upon heat exposure.