Open in Crouton
This technique is a piece of culinary history. Devised by German scientist Gerd Klöck, and first applied at
the Fat Duck in 2004 for Heston’s Jelly of Quail with Langoustine Cream, a tribute to legendary French chef
Alain Chappel. The technique uses the stock’s own gelatin as filtration system, producing a consommé of
stunning clarity and depth of flavor. Surprisingly, the technique is almost effortless.
Makes
500mLPrep
10 mins, and 12+ hours to thawIngredients
1 liter
chicken stock
Steps
1
Freeze chicken stock, ideally into individual cubes for more surface area to volume.
2
Thaw frozen stock in a sieve or filter set over a bowl in the fridge for 12+ hours.
3
Season consommé as desired, but avoid adding alcohol.
4
Reserve the unfiltered stock to use as a demi-glace.
Notes
The chicken stock needs to have enough gelatin to loosely set. Too little gelatin and it won’t filter
itself. Too much gelatin will result in a low yield.
To gel thawed chicken consommé add 0.75% (weak set) to 1.5% (firm set) gelatin by weight.
Adding alcohol or alcohol reductions will cause the consommé to go cloudy by causing proteins to precipitate out of solution. Any alcohol or reductions should be added to the stock before ice-filtering.
To gel thawed chicken consommé add 0.75% (weak set) to 1.5% (firm set) gelatin by weight.
Adding alcohol or alcohol reductions will cause the consommé to go cloudy by causing proteins to precipitate out of solution. Any alcohol or reductions should be added to the stock before ice-filtering.