Easy Beef Consommé

Method

• Place the beef stock in the refrigerator while you are prepping the vegetables. Finely diced the onions, tomatoes, celery, and carrots.
• Set a soup pot on the stovetop. (Leave the heat off.) Add in the ground meat, mirepoix (diced vegetables), egg whites, bay leaves, dried thyme, and salt.
• Stir to combine until the egg whites are mixed throughout all the meat and vegetables. Then gently pour the beef stock into the pot. Stir well.
• Turn the heat on medium-low. Continue to stir the mixture for several minutes until the liquid is hot and the consommé is about to boil. Then STOP stirring, and do not stir the pot again. Keep the consommé at a low simmer and continue to simmer for 90-100 minutes. The egg and meat mixture will rise to the top and create a “raft” that collects debris and helps to clarify the consommé. Try not to disturb the raft. Sometimes it will stay in one whole circular piece, but sometimes it will break into several larger pieces. Just leave it alone and allow it to flavor and filter the consommé as it simmers.
• Once the consommé has simmered for at least 90 minutes, place a piece of cheese cloth in a large mesh strainer. Carefully pour the consommé into the strainer to remove the raft and any other pieces that have loosened as it simmered.
• Once the consommé has cooled, pour into jars and store. If you plan to freeze the consommé for later use, make sure to leave 2-3 cm of air space at the top of the jar to allow for expansion in the freezer.