Consommé, Brown Stock, and Carbonara

Method of cooking/techniques covered in class:

Basic principles and techniques of common dry-heat cooking methods:

A dry heat cooking method is one that uses high temperatures without moisture/water/steam. They typically create a browned surface and rich flavor. Dry heat cooking methods include sautéing, baking, roasting, grilling, broiling, frying, and searing.

Preparation and simmering of brown stock:

Brown stock is rich and flavorful, and is made from slowly extracting flavor from roasted bones and aromatics. While white stock is made with raw bones, brown stock begins by roasting the bones and vegetables (typically brushed in tomato paste) to develop more flavor and color. 

Clarifying Consommé:

Clarifying the consommé involves making a “raft”, sometimes called a clearmeat or a filter, which behaves as a filter that traps all sorts of impurities during the clarification process. The raft is made of egg whites, ground meat, finely diced mirepoix, and aromatics. The result (ideally) is a crystal clear broth. 

Dishes to be covered in class:

This week in class we will be covering clear soups and consommés as well as pasta (in this case, fettuccini carbonara).

Learning Objectives for this lab:

• Apply the unique process of clarifying consommé, including the techniques and ingredients used to achieve its crystal-clear appearance.

• Acquire and apply the basic principles and techniques of common dry-heat cooking methods

• Create a pasta dish by applying appropriate cooking techniques and combining ingredients for a balanced and flavorful result.

• Prepare brown stocks by employing proper preparation methods, including selecting ingredients, extracting flavors, and ensuring correct cooking processes.

Prior Knowledge:

I have absolutely zero prior knowledge or experience with consommé or any clear soups. I'm going into this lab solely with the knowledge from this class and my personal research. Similarly, I know very little about brown stocks either, but I did know that the bones are roasted before simmering in brown stocks. As for pastas, I have a reasonable amount of knowledge going into this lab. I've used pasta countless times while cooking, including freshly made as well as dried pasta. Pasta is one of the easiest and most accessible ingredients for me to experiment with in the comfort of my own home, so I've gotten very comfortable with all of its characteristics.

Background Information:

Dry heat cooking methods:

Dry heat cooking methods are some of the most fundamental techniques in the kitchen. As mentioned above, dry-heat cooking uses hot air or fat to transfer heat to food without moisture (water or steam). The goal is achieving flavor development through browning and caramelization. These reactions give the food color, texture, and flavor. This is called the Maillard reaction, which occurs when heat causes proteins and sugars in food to react, creating browning and rich flavors.

Roasting and baking:

Roasting and baking involves surrounding food with hot, dry air. Both roasting and baking takes place in the oven. Roasting usually involves higher temperatures than baking (400 degrees F).

Sautéing uses a small amount of oil and dry heat (often relatively high heat) to quickly brown the food. The name comes from the French word “saute” which means jump, as the food sometimes will “jump” in the pan while cooking. 

Pan Frying:

Pan frying uses a moderate amount of fat, like butter, or oil to cook the food. Usually, there’s only enough oil to come halfway up the side of the food, rather than the food being all the way submerged (like in deep-frying).

Grilling:

Grilling is a method that uses direct, high heat from below to quickly cook food. Grilling food usually results in browned crusts that are full of flavor, locking in juices. This method is great for meats and vegetables. 

Broiling:

Broiling is a method that also uses intense heat, but the heat comes from above when broiling (typically in an oven). Broiling requires close attention because the heat is so direct and strong, and the food risks burning. 

Deep Frying:

Deep frying involves the food being completely submerged in hot oil. The oil cooks the food quickly, and creates a crispy and golden exterior while sealing in moisture. This method is used a lot in fast food.

Simmering and preparation of brown stock:

The preparation of brown stock involves roasting the bones before simmering them. Oftentimes, the bones are brushed in tomato paste to aid in the Maillard reaction, then placed in the oven where they roast until browned. This develops the rich savory flavors. Mirepoix usually is added to the roasted bones as well, but towards the end so that they caramelize without burning. Everything is transferred to a stockpot to simmer. The pan used to roast the bones and vegetables is deglazed so as to capture the flavor that developed on the bottom of it. The brown bits are also added to the pot. Without letting the stock boil, it simmers for a few hours. Skimming the surface every so often is crucial to making sure the stock is free of impurities and excess fat. The stock is eventually strained, and cooled quickly.

Clarifying consommé:

Clarifying consommé is the process of turning stock into a clear, refined broth by removing impurities. A mixture called clearmeat is made out of egg whites, mirepoix, and ground meat. This mixture is added to the stock, and is slowly heated. The proteins coagulate and rise to the top of the pot and form the “raft”. The raft traps impurities and fat, preventing the consommé from getting cloudy. As steam starts to form, a little hole is made in the raft called the “chimney”, in order to let the steam escape. After carefully simmering, the liquid is strained through cheese cloth, and the result is a clear consommé. 

Research and discussion of primary ingredient:

Pasta:

Pasta is a traditional Italian food made from a dough of flour and water (sometimes eggs). It takes on many different shapes, and is cooked by boiling. Dry pasta is usually a light yellow color, and when cooked, has a softer, more squishy texture. Pasta can also be cooked al dente, meaning it has a little more of a bite. Different pasta shapes are often used for different purposes and dishes. The starch in pasta absorbs water and swells as the pasta boils. The water the pasta is boiled in is also frequently used in recipes as a thickener, as it’s full of starch. 

Consomme:

Clear soups have been around for thousands of years and have evolved into the different, more refined versions we have today, such as consommé. The word consomme is French and means “completed” or “finished”. Consomme became established in French culinary tradition by the 17th and 18th centuries and remains a prominent dish today. The main sensory characteristics are as follows: crystal clear appearance, intensely savory and concentrated flavor, and a smooth and light texture. 

Dish/method variations:

Consommé variations:

The way the consommé can vary is in the kind of stock used. Chicken stock, beef stock, veal stock, and others can be used when making consommé, and each of these will have different flavor profiles. Some other variations of consommé use only the egg whites to trap impurities, rather than the raft made of all the other ingredients. Another way the dish can vary is in the garnishes. Sometimes consommé is garnished with julienned vegetables, other times it can be garnished with small pasta shapes.

Fettuccine Carbonara variations: 

The easiest way to switch up this dish is by using a different pasta shape. When I make carbonara at home, I typically use spaghetti. Additionally, the cooking technique can be done differently as well. Some carbonara recipes split the egg yolks from the whites, mix the yolks with the pecorino, require the whites to be whipped, and folded in at the end. Some American variations also include cream in the carbonara sauce, even though authentic carbonara does not call for it. 

Chicken Consommé

Ingredient:	Amount:
Chicken breast, ground	4 oz
Egg whites	2 oz (~2 ea)
Carrot, fine brunoise	1 oz
Onion, fine burnoise	1 oz
Onion, half for onion brulee	.5 oz
Celery, fine brunoise	1 oz
Tomato, chopped	1 oz
Cold chicken stock	50 fl oz
Bay leaf	2 ea
Thyme, fresh	1 sprig
Parsley stems	3-4 stems
Salt and pepper	TT

Fettuccini Carbonara:

Ingredients:	Amount:
Pasta, fettuccini	6 oz
Pancetta, diced	1.75 oz
Eggs	1 ea
Parmesan cheese, microplane grated	0.75 oz
Pecorino cheese, microplane grated	0.75 oz

Plan of work:

Time:	Method of Production	Time taken:
8:00-8:30	Chef huddle, review
8:30-9:00	Mise en Place all ingredients for consommé and pasta	30 mins
9:00-9:15	Wash and dice all vegetables, make sachet	15 mins
9:15-9:30	Add stock and raft to pot, simmer	15 mins
9:30-10:15	Start on pasta	45 mins
10:15-10:30	Start cooking pancetta	15 mins
10:30-11:00	Make carbonara sauce, plate pasta, strain consommé, plate consommé	30 min
11:00	Plates up
11:00-11:20	Eat	20 min
11:20-12:00	Cleaning	40 min

Sources used:

The Culinary Institute of America.

The Professional Chef. 9th ed., Wiley, 2011.

Labensky, Sarah R., et al.

On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals. 6th ed.,

McGee, Harold.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Scribner, 2004.

Larousse Gastronomique.

Clarkson Potter, 2009.

Italian Academy of Cuisine.

La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy. Rizzoli, 2009.

Results:

All of the cooking methods worked as intended. The consommé came out perfectly clear and flavorful. The carbonara was a bust, but that was user error, not the methods not working. 

Sensory results of Fettuccini Carbonara:

Taste: The taste was decent, albeit bland. I think it was missing salt or some other seasoning. 

Flavor: The primary flavor in the pasta was definitely the pecorino cheese, which was pleasant and tangy. The cheese itself was salty (unfortunately not salty enough to compensate for our lack of seasoning). 

Texture: The texture is where things went south. It was pasta with a hint of scrambled eggs. The texture was meant to be much smoother, but it was a little chunky instead.

Appearance: Honestly, just by looking at the pasta, you couldn’t really tell that we broke the sauce. It actually looked quite nice, a pleasant yellow color with the vibrant pancetta as well. The parsley garnish also added some color and interest. 

Sensory results of Chicken consommé:

Taste: The main taste I picked up on was Umami (I believe). It was extremely concentrated and frankly overwhelming, yet I think that was ultimately the goal.

Flavor: The main flavor was of the chicken, however it also tasted a lot like the mirepoix we added to it. It was super strong and flavorful, however I personally did not love the taste/flavor. It did taste as described in my research, but I may just be picky. 

Texture: The texture was just like ordinary chicken broth, possibly even smoother. There was zero texture to the consommé, just pure liquid. 

Appearance: The consommé was pretty clear, though maybe not as clear as we would’ve liked (probably moved the raft around too much trying to make the chimney). It also had an amber color to it.

(I ended up dicing these smaller)

Evaluation of results:

Overall, the techniques we used in the lab worked pretty much the way they were supposed to. The consommé turned out relatively clear and extremely flavorful, which shows that the clarification method was successful. The carbonara didn't turn out as planned, but that wasn’t because the method didn't work. It was more so a technique and temperature issue on our end.

The consommé came out mostly clear with a concentrated flavor, which tells me the clarification technique did its job. Traditionally, consommé is clarified using a “raft” made of egg whites and meat (usually lean meat from what I’ve gathered. As the broth simmers, the egg white proteins coagulate and trap impurities, which clears the broth (Culinary Institute of America 171). Though we didn’t care much for the flavor of the consommé, we used the proper technique and the result was an extremely flavorful consommé (which is a success in my book). 

The carbonara sauce on the other hand, broke and turned into scrambled eggs instead of smooth and creamy. This happened because the eggs cooked too quickly (or at too high a heat). Traditional carbonara uses residual heat from the pasta rather than direct heat (like the hot plate) to thicken the egg yolks (Culinary Institute of America 421).

Egg proteins begin to coagulate around 144 F (McGee 102). If the pan is too hot, they cook too fast and form curds like scrambled eggs instead of a smooth sauce. We didn’t wait long enough after taking the pasta off the heat to add the egg mixture. Instead of slowly thickening into a sauce with the cheese, the eggs scrambled. The bland taste was likely due to lack of salt. I thought we’d salted our water enough at the time, but clearly we didn't. The pasta water should be salted heavily so the fettuccini absorbs flavor as it boils. Even though the pecorino cheese we used is salty, it can’t fully make up for the lack of salt on our end. I also believe seasoning more towards the end as well would help.

For the carbonara, the particular improvements I would implement are as follows: removing the pan from heat for longer before adding the egg mixture, maybe try tempering the eggs with more pasta water before adding them, salting the water more, and more aggressive tossing/mixing when adding the egg mixture. Overall, temperature control and seasoning.

For the consommé: being more gentle when forming the chimney, avoid stirring or moving the raft once its formed, and simmering more gently. I think the flavor issue was genuinely personal preference rather than a flaw in the end result, as a lot of my classmates shared my sentiment and described their consommé very similarly. 

Conclusion:

Overall, this lab was a really good learning experience. Not everything turned out as I would've liked, but that made it arguably more valuable as I learned from my mistakes. The lab showed me how these techniques are supposed to work and what can go wrong when I overlook/mess up small details. The consommé was definitely the stronger result. It came out mostly clear and very concentrated in flavor, which shows that the clarification method worked. The raft formed as it was described in class and demos, and the egg whites also did well in “filtering” the consommé. Even though the flavor was a little too intense for my personal preference, I believe it was technically correct. Consommé was described as strong and refined in my research, so the result tells me we were successful.

The carbonara didn’t turn out as smoothly. The sauce broke and became scrambled, which was frustrating (especially since I’ve made the dish successfully over 5 times at home) but it clearly showed how sensitive egg based sauces are. Instead of thickening from the heat from the pasta, the eggs were subjected to a breakfast scramble treatment. That mistake definitely reinforced how important temperature control is when working with ingredients that transform when heat is applied. Even though the texture wasn’t great, it helped me understand emulsification/coagulation and how sensitive the heat control needs to be.

Beyond the specific learning objectives in our lab overview, I also learned how important organization and multitasking are. Making the consommé required patience and monitoring, while carbonara requires super close attention to heat. 

Going forward, we need to focus on controlling heat more carefully and being more bold with seasoning. I think our fear of ruining a dish by oversalting is truly shooting us in the foot. We also should’ve trusted the left over heat from the boiled pasta to help cook the eggs. I think the time constraint on getting our plates up also contributed to ScrambleGate. Had we not been running so behind and stressed, maybe we would’ve been a little more patient and allowed the pan to cool more. 

My main takeaway from this lab is that cooking = science. That seems pretty self explanatory but it’s clearly easy to forget. Precision is key especially when working with sensitive ingredients like eggs. When you understand and remain aware of what’s going on in the food chemically, the results improve. While I’m a little disappointed in the outcome, I plan on using my mistakes as lessons going forward. 

Works Cited:

Culinary Institute of America. (2011). The professional chef (9th ed.). Wiley.

Lopez-Alt, J. K. (2015). The food lab: Better home cooking through science. W. W. Norton & Company.

McGee, H. (2004). On food and cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen. Scribner.