Chefs have chased the perfect consommé for as long as there has been cuisine. Traditionally clarified using a raft of egg whites, meat, and aromatics, it was inevitable that chefs would start looking for modern alternatives. The first solution was introduced by Professor Gerd Klöck in 2004 and popularized by Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck. Ice clarification is a method of freezing gelatin-rich stocks and then slowly defrosting them through layers of cheesecloth and a fine sieve to create a perfectly clear liquid. As the gel is frozen, the water trapped in the gelatin crystallizes. This causes the sharp edges to damage the cell walls. As the frozen gel warms up, the water and all of the water-soluble components melt before the gelatin or the fats and leak out of the damaged cell structure, leaving everything else behind. The next innovation was using agar instead of gelatin to speed up the freeze-thaw process. Agar works more quickly because it has a much higher melting point. If there is no fat in the preparation, it can actually be defrosted into a filter at room temperature, which greatly reduces the filtration time. From there we made the leap of eliminating the time spent in the freezer when using agar. Syneresis is the process by which the liquid leaks out of the gel structure. Agar naturally creates a hard, brittle gel that is prone to syneresis. It seemed reasonable to us that we could easily make an agar gel and break it up in the vacuum sealer, causing the clear liquids to leak out while the impurities were trapped in the gel. Once we poured the broken gel into a cheesecloth-lined filter, we would have a clear liquid almost immediately. It worked beautifully and was a huge breakthrough for us. As we worked through the process, we realized that brisk stirring of the agar-thickened liquid was enough to break it apart and create syneresis, effectively giving us a low-tech clarification process that could be easily accomplished at home. We use a ratio of 0.25 percent agar to clarify most of our liquids. Occasionally in liquids with more dissolved impurities we increase this to 0.3 percent.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 2 quarts

　　1 kilogram sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch (1.25-centimeter) pieces

　　2 small or 1 large onion, peeled and diced

　　1 head garlic, peeled and separated into cloves

　　2 grams crushed red pepper flakes

　　170 grams red wine

　　170 grams smoked soy sauce (see page 62)

　　2,500 grams water

　　6.25 grams agar (see Sources, page 309)

　　

Step 1

Put the bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook the bacon slowly to render the fat, about 30 minutes. As the fat renders, pour it into a metal bowl or other heatproof container and reserve for another use. When the bacon is evenly browned, add the onions, garlic, and red pepper. Cook until the onions are tender and lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a strainer set over a bowl and drain any excess bacon fat.

　　

Step 2

Return the pan to medium heat, add the wine and soy sauce, and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Pour the pan drippings into a pressure cooker and add the bacon and onion mixture. Add the water and cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Let the pressure naturally dissipate. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing on the solids to extrude any juices. Let the stock cool and transfer to the refrigerator. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Any bacon fat left in the stock will solidify on the surface. Remove and discard this fat and strain the stock one more time. You need 2,500 grams of bacon stock.

　　

Step 3

Pour the bacon stock into a stockpot set over medium heat. Whisk the agar into the stock. Bring the stock to a simmer, stirring to prevent the agar from settling to the bottom of the pan. Cook the stock for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the agar. Pour the mixture into another pan to cool, then refrigerate.

　　

Step 4

When the bacon stock is cold and gelled, use a whisk to finely break apart the gel structure. Return the stock to the refrigerator for several hours to rest. Once the broken gel has rested, it releases its liquid more easily.

　　

Step 5

Line a strainer with four layers of cheesecloth and set over a container large enough to hold the strainer and the liquid. Place the straining setup in the refrigerator and let the broken gel strain for a few hours. Merely breaking the gel and squeezing it in batches through the cheesecloth can speed up this process. While this produces consommé quickly, the final yield is less.

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