What Is Beef Consomme?

Consomme. What a word! Just saying it makes me feel like I’m wearing a tophat and a monocle. It’s nothing like that atrocious broth. I’ll happily drink broth, but just the sound of the word broth makes me think it’s been siphoned directly from the gutter. Not like consomme, which flows freely from a marble fountain statue of the goddess Aphrodite. So, is consomme really much better than broth? Or, is there no difference at all? Get ready to consume a whole lot of consomme info. 

What is beef consomme?

If you can’t already tell by the name, beef consomme is French. The term “consomme” means perfect or complete. That’s quite a haughty claim for a food that is just liquid. 

Beef consomme is a clarified version of beef broth, meaning that it has gone through an additional process to eliminate fat and sediments from the original broth, resulting in a clear, amber brown liquid. Through this clarifying process, the consomme becomes rich in flavor with a thicker texture than regular broth. 

Making beef consomme is an incredibly intricate, lengthy process. In the restaurant world, that usually translates to something that has a hefty price tag. Traditionally, beef consomme was served as its own appetizer dish during a multi-course meal and it was drunk right from the bowl; no spoon required.

These days, people aren’t eating a ton of multi-course meals, so consomme has broadened its scope. It can be used as the basis for a soup or stew, or as a dip for something like beef on weck. And you can get pretty darn good store-bought beef consomme, too. 

What is the difference between beef broth and beef consomme?

There are a couple distinctions between beef broth and beef consomme, despite the fact that one is made from the other. A broth is categorized as liquid made from simmering meat and vegetables in water. On a whole, broth is easy to make; the simmering time is short and the steps required are doable by even the most amateur of chefs.

Beef consomme is made once the broth is completely cooled and the fat has been skimmed from the top of it. This broth is added to a pot of ground beef (complete with cartilage and tendons, if possible), mirepoix, tomato, and egg whites. 

Then starts the simmering process, which is long and requires frequent stirring. The acid from the tomatoes starts breaking down the impurities, which float to the top. As they continue to break down, the egg whites create a bond between them, resulting in a “raft” floating on the top. 

After simmering for a good hour, all the collected impurities are skimmed from the top. Once the simmering is complete, the consomme goes through several rounds of filtering to get as much of impurities from it. It can even be refrigerated, causing the remaining fat to congeal at the top for easier removal. Making a beef consomme at home could take you a whole day, and even then you might not get it right.

So why go to all this trouble? The results are in the flavor. Beef broth is salty, meaty, and watery. To me, it’s nothing to sneeze at; a decent beef broth hits the spot. (And, if you are sneezing, it’ll help you feel better.) But consomme, that’s a horse of a different color. It is a literal pure, condensed beef broth and, as a result, the flavor is also condensed and really packs a punch. Additionally, because of all the refinement, consomme has a thicker, almost viscous texture that you can feel in your mouth.

If you have the patience and will, you should really try out some beef consomme at home. It lives up to its fancier name.