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Consomme of Beef and Fowl

A historical recipe from La cuisine creole, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885).

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A historical recipe

La cuisine creole: a collection of culinary recipes from leading chefs and noted Creole housewives, who have made New Orleans famous for its cuisine, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885). Project Gutenberg eBook #75027.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Also printed in: La cuisine creole (1885).

United States

Known as an American recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 5 ingredients

  1. two pounds of lean beef
  2. a head of celery
  3. a pinch of celery seed
  4. two carrots
  5. two onions

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Celery High in vitamin K · Source of folate · Source of protein

    High in vitamin K · 29 µg per 100 g, 39% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
    • Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet

    Source of folate · 36 µg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy.
    • Folate contributes to normal amino acid synthesis.
    • Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
    5 more authorised claims
    • Folate contributes to normal homocysteine metabolism.
    • Folate contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Folate contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Folate has a role in the process of cell division.

    Folate is a B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Your body needs folate to make DNA and other genetic material. NIH fact sheet

    Source of protein · 0.7 g per 100 g, 20% of the energy from protein

    • Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
    • Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Celery, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

  2. Carrot High in vitamin A · Source of vitamin K · Source of potassium

    High in vitamin A · 835 µg per 100 g, 104% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin A contributes to normal iron metabolism.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal mucous membranes.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.
    3 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision.
    • Vitamin A contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin A has a role in the process of cell specialisation.

    Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, reproduction, and growth and development. NIH fact sheet

    Source of vitamin K · 13 µg per 100 g, 18% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin K contributes to normal blood clotting.
    • Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

    Vitamin K is a nutrient that the body needs to stay healthy. It’s important for blood clotting and healthy bones and also has other functions in the body. NIH fact sheet

    Source of potassium · 320 mg per 100 g, 16% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Potassium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Potassium contributes to normal muscle function.
    • Potassium contributes to the maintenance of normal blood pressure.

    Potassium is a mineral found in many foods. Your body needs potassium for almost everything it does, including proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Carrots, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Take two pounds of lean beef and a fowl half roasted and cut in pieces, put into a saucepan, which must be filled with stock or plain broth;
  2. skim it well, salt it to taste, and add two carrots, two onions, a head of celery or a pinch of celery seed, also a little thyme, a whole pepper, mace, and a bay leaf.
  3. Let it simmer gently for three or four hours, then strain through a coarse cloth;
  4. free it entirely from fat, and clarify it with the white of an egg.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Slotted spoon
  • Sieve
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From La cuisine creole, by Lafcadio Hearn (1885). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #75027 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75027). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.