Consommé is a French term that indicates a broth of meat, chicken or fish, consumed either hot or cold at the beginning of a meal, usually in the evening. The consommé can be served alone (possibly flavored with a wine, such as Porto or Madera) or accompanied by garnishments (very thinly cut pasta, real pasta, vegetable julienne, croutons, poached eggs, etc.). In this second case, it is sufficient to use properly filtered and slightly reduced broth over high heat. But consommé must be usually clarified as well as enriched with aromatic substances. Here is the procedure for clarifying the consommé:

1. Filter the prepared broth and place it in a saucepan to cool. In a bowl, mix 300 g of minced lean beef pulp (for each liter of broth) with a carrot and a piece of leek (the white part) cut into small pieces and 2 egg whites.
2. Add the lukewarm broth to the mixture of beef and vegetables and stir. Pour everything into the saucepan and, without stopping stirring, let it boil. Lower the flame to a minimum and cook for at least an hour and a half.
3. Add also a egg white to the mixture and let it all the impurities of the broth bringing them to the surface. After cooking, the consommé is filtered through a gauze or a cloth, moistened, in order to make it clear, that is, clarified.