Method:
Clean the bones and head. Make sure you remove all traces of blood. Remove
gills, then cut the head and the bones into small pieces. Rinse thoroughly
under cold water. Peel and slice the vegetables finely. Melt the butter in
a large stockpot and sweat the vegetables and garlic for approximately 10
minutes over a low heat. Add the bones and sweat for a further 5 minutes
until the bones are white. Add the Noilly Prat. Reduce slightly to cook off
the alcohol. Cover with 1.5 litres of cold water, bring slowly to the boil and
skim off any impurities.
Peel the skin and membrane off the lemon half. Using a sharp knife cut down one side of the membrane between each segment and flip the segment out, removing the seed at the same time. Add the lemon, herbs and salt to the stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, skimming from time to time as required.
Add the cracked peppercorns in the last 5 minutes of the cooking process and allow to steep for a further hour. Strain thoroughly through a fine sieve then through a muslin cloth. Chill and use immediately or freeze for later use. Use this stock for moistening fish when cooking, as a base for fish soup and for making sauces.
Method for clarification:
Chill the snapper fillet for 30 minutes
then mince through a coarse mincer. Cut the tomato, celery heart, leek coriander
root, chilli and mushrooms finely and mix in with the minced seafood. Add
in the grated laos root, chopped lemongrass and saffron. Lightly whisk egg
whites and fold into the other ingredients. Knead well with your hands to
form a thick batter.
Stir the farce into the cool fish stock and slowly bring to the boil, skimming all impurities from the surface. Simmer for 1 hour or until the stock is clear and the flavour is strong. Strain the consomme through a muslin cloth and allow liquid to cool. Discard the rest.
Note: laos root is a South-east Asian rhizome, in Sydney more commonly known as greater galangal. Can be obtained dried, powdered and fresh, mainly from Chinese grocery stores or markets. It adds a special fragrance to dishes. Can be substituted with half the quantity of fresh, young galangal, if necessary.
Ingredients:
5 chicken feet
1 kg chicken wings
3 kg chicken bones
300g celeriac
200g carrots
400g onions
6 parsley stalks
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 leek, white part only, roughly chopped
500g ripe, soft tomatoes
200g mushrooms
6 whole bulbs of garlic
300 ml oil (grape-seed or peanut)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs black peppercorns, crushed
Method:
Chop feet, bones and wings into walnut-sized pieces. Clean, peel and roughly
chop the celeriac, carrots, leeks and onions (mirepoix). Bind the herbs in
the outer leek leaves to from a bundle. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, slice
the mushrooms and cut the unpeeled garlic bulbs in half.
Preheat the oven to 220º C. heat the oil in a large pan and once it is hot add the chicken bones and turn them over in the oil until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt. Return the bones to the oven and cook until light brown in colour.
Add mirepoix and garlic and continue roasting until the vegetables are lightly browned. Remove the bones, vegetables and garlic and set aside in a stockpot. Remove the fat from the roasting tray and add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Return the tray to the oven and roast until the liquid has evaporated, taking care not to burn the vegetables.
Pour a little water or white wine into the roasting tray, scrape the residue from the bottom and add it to the stockpot with the roasted vegetables. Add enough cold water to just cover the bones and bring slowly to the boil. Skim off all impurities and fat. Add the herb bundle and simmer gently for 3 to 4 hours, stirring from time to time. Add the crushed peppercorns to the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Strain the stock through a fine sieve then through a muslin cloth. Chill, then remove and discard the fat from the top before using or freezing.
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken bones, cut into walnut size pieces
2 sticks of celery
1 leek
1 white onion
1 clove
1 sprig of thyme
1 small bay leaf
6 parsley stalks
Pinch of salt
10 white peppercorns
Method:
To remove blood and impurities, plunge the bones into boiling water. Bring
the water back to the boil and remove the bones. Refresh them under cold
water. Place the bones in a stockpot and cover with 3 litres of water. Bring
to the boil and skim off any impurities. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Add vegetables and herbs and cook for a further 30 minutes. 10 minutes before the end of the cooking process add the salt and the peppercorns. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, then though a muslin cloth.
Chill, then remove any remaining fat before using or freezing.
If I am cooking white chicken stock to be used exclusively with vegetables, then I like to add one dry Angelica root to the stockpot together with the herbs.
Method:
Finely slice the leek, onion, celery and mushrooms. Tie up the herbs in some
muslin cloth.
Chop the chicken bones into small pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sweat the bones without browning them for 5 minutes, add the vegetables, herbs, garlic and peppercorns, and sweat for a further 5 minutes.
Cover with cold water and add a little salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 hours, skimming from time to time. Strain through a fine sieve, lined with muslin cloth. Allow to cool.
Ingredients for Farce:
500g chicken leg meat
1 large, ripe tomato
2 shallots
1/2 small leek, pale part only
1/2 small celery stalk, pale part only
3 button mushrooms
5 eggwhites
5 black peppercorns, crushed
Method:
Mince the chicken though a coarse mincer. Cut all the vegetables finely. In
a bowl, beat the eggwhites lightly and add the chicken, vegetables and crushed
peppercorns. Knead well with your hands to form a thick batter. Stir into
the chicken fumet. Bring slowly to the boil and remove the scum with a slotted
spoon. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the consommé is clear and
the flavour is strong enough. Strain through a fine sieve and then through
a muslin cloth and set the resultant chicken consomme aside to cool. Discard
the residue.
Tip: If you do not have the time to clarify the fumet, or it is almost clear anyway, then try placing 15 semi-dried tomatoes into the fumet and bring it gently to the boil. Switch it off and strain after about 10 minutes. This will do the trick. You will however infuse the tomato taste into the fumet as well.
Ingredients:
2 kg veal bones, knuckles of possible
250g onion
100g celeriac
100g carrots
200g tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
100g mushrooms
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 bay leaf
6 whole parsley stalks
1/2 cup of loveage
100ml peanut oil
1 tbs salt
6 white peppercorns, cracked
Method:
Preheat oven to 220º C. Using a heavy cleaver, cut the bones into walnut-sized
pieces or ask the butcher to do this for you. Roughly dice all the vegetables,
except the mushrooms and cut each tomato into 8 sections.
Peel and halve the garlic cloves. Roughly chop the mushrooms. Tie the herbs
together.
Heat the oil in a roasting pan, add the bones and brown them off. Add vegetables and garlic. Roast them in the oven until they are light brown. Add the mushrooms and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and keep roasting until all the juices have evaporated and the tomatoes have become slightly coloured.
Place everything in a stockpot, deglaze the pan with water to remove the caramelised residue from the bottom; add the pan liquid to the stockpot and cover the bones and vegetables generously with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil.
Skim the surface thoroughly. Add the salt and herbs and simmer for approximately 5 hours. Add the peppercorns to the stock in the last 10 minutes of the cooking process. Strain stock through a fine sieve and then though a muslin cloth. Return to the boil before allowing it to cool down. Chill and remove any remaining fat before using or freezing.
Ingredients:
2 kg veal knuckle bones
1 kg chicken and turkey wings
100ml peanut oil
1 red onion
3 stalk celery
2 medium-sized carrots
100g mushrooms
3 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
2 sprigs thyme
3 stalks parsley
1/2 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns, cracked
Method:
Preheat the oven to 220º C. Cut the meat and bones into walnut-sized pieces
using a heavy cleaver, or ask your butcher to do this for you. Heat the oil
in a large roasting pan and brown the bones in the oven, stirring from time
to time.
Clean, peel and roughly slice the onion, celery and carrots. Add these vegetables to the bones and brown lightly.
Add the mushrooms and quartered tomatoes. Sweat these until all the juices have evaporated, then add a little water and loosen the residue from the bottom of the pan.
Transfer everything to a stockpot. Cover with cold water, add the salt and bring slowly to the boil, skimming well. Simmer for 5 hours, adding the herbs and pepper in the last hours. Keep skimming from time to time.
Strain well through a fine sieve and then through a muslin cloth. Chill and remove any fat before using or freezing.
Ingredients:
2 kg lamb bones
60ml peanut oil
1 large white onion
2 medium carrots
1 stalk celery
1 bulb garlic
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
5 stalks parsley
3 loveage stalks with leaves
1 bay leaf
10 black peppercorns, cracked
Method:
Preheat the oven to 250º C. Chop the lamb bones into walnut-sized pieces, using
a heavy cleaver or ask the butcher to do this for you. Heat the oil in a
deep roasting pan and add the bones, turning them over in the oil. Roast
in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Clean and peel the onion, carrots and celery then roughly dice. Peel the garlic and cut it in half lengthwise. Add the vegetables and garlic to the roasting tray and roast in the oven with the bones until light brown, stirring frequently.
Add the tomato, stir and cook until all the juices have evaporated.
Transfer the bones and vegetables to a stockpot. Add water to the roasting tray and scrape away the residue. Pour the liquid into the stockpot.
Cover the bones completely with cold water. Add salt and slowly bring to the boil. Skim; add parsley, loveage and bay leaves. Simmer for 3 hours, skimming from time to time.
Add the cracked peppercorns 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Strain well through a fine sieve then through a muslin cloth. Chill and remove any fat before using or freezing.
Ingredients:
2 kg kangaroo bones
1 kg kangaroo tail
80ml olive oil
50g bacon rind
1 red onion
2 carrots
1/2 celeriac
1 whole bulb garlic
100g mushrooms
5 soft, ripe tomatoes
4 juniper berries
6 black peppercorns
1 litre red wine (dry)
100ml port
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
6 parsley stalks
1 cinnamon quill, lightly crushed
Method:
Preheat oven to 220º C. Chop the bones and tail into walnut-sized pieces using
a heavy cleaver or asks the butcher to do this for you. Heat the oil in a
roasting pan, add the bones and bacon rind and roast until light brown.
Roughly dice the onion, carrots and celeriac. Halve the garlic bulb. Chop the mushrooms roughly and quarter the tomatoes. Crack the juniper berries and black peppercorns and set aside.
Add the vegetables to the bones and keep roasting until lightly coloured. Add the mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes and roast until the juices have evaporated. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a stockpot. Remove the fat from the roasting pan, deglaze with the red wine and port and add to the bones.
Cover the bones with cold water then bring to the boil, stirring well. Add the salt, bay leaf and parsley stalks. Simmer for 4 hours, stirring from time to time.
Add the peppercorns, cinnamon and juniper berries, then simmer for a further 30 to 60 minutes. Strain well through a fine sieve, then through a muslin cloth. Chill and remove any fat before using or freezing.
Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, halved, but unpeeled. (The skin imparts a sweet flavour)
3 tbs olive oil, extra virgin
15 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, halved and seeded (see note)
1 tbs brown sugar
50ml white wine (dry)
1 sprig thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 sprig French tarragon
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Method:
In a baking tray, saute the onion and garlic in oil. Arrange the halved tomatoes
over the onions with the cut end facing down. Add the sugar and wine and
cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 160º C for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and add the herbs. Return to the oven or use the stove top,
and cook for a further 30 minutes. Add the salt, then pass the mixture though
a fine strainer and allow to cool. Place in a container and cover with a
thin film of good quality olive oil. Refrigerate and use as required.
(Cutting a cross into
the top of the whole tomatoes and plunging them into boiling water for 30
seconds will make peeling a breeze)
Ingredients:
1 kg shells, heads and all innards of the prawns, excluding the digestive tract. To
obtain a particularly good flavour, squeeze the reddish liquid out of as
many fresh prawn heads as you can find.
500ml Cognac
100ml white wine, dry
A little extra wine
50ml extra dry sherry
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
50g butter
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Method:
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom fry pan, add the shells and heads and fry over
high heat until starting to brown, flame with the cognac, then stir in the
wine and sherry. Add the bay leaf, cover and reduce by half. Add a little
more wine, stir well, then put through a moulis, then strain liquid through
a muslin cloth. Return to heat, whisk in butter, and season with salt and
pepper and leave to cool. Refrigerate. Use within 2 days.
Ingredients:
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
1 tsp of cumin seeds
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
Method:
Using a knife, chop all the ingredients until you have
a super fine mixture (like fine sand). Add this pulp to 2 litres of demi-glace
and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes and skim regularly. You now have a superb
base for brown-stock-based sauces.