Soups are divided into two groups : — I. The fat soups prepared with meat or meat stock. II. The lean soups (‘maigre’) prepared without meat. These are divided into two sections : — (a.) Clear soups. (b.) Thick soups. And these two sections are subdivided into five classes or chapters : — 1. Broths, consommes or clear soups, and garnishings. 2. Purees or thick soups. 3. Creams or filtered soups. 4. Fish soups, bisques and shell-fish soups, and purees made from fresh fish. 5. Cosmopolitan or mixed soup. STOCKS AND SOUPS 87 Garnishing’S. — The garniture for either thick or clear soups con- sists of crusts, croutons, or sippets ; vegetables, either separate or mixed ; cream of game or poultry ; forcemeat balls, or quenelles of fish, meat, game or poultry, eggs ; custards made with eggs, or eggs and vegetable purees ; chiffonade (finely shredded green salad plants &c.) ; finely chopped or shredded herbs ; farinaceous preparations, nouilles, batters, Italian pastes, rice, semolina, barley, tapioca, &c. &c. Broths, Consommes, or Clear Soups. — In preparing stock for the above everything must be left to the judgment of the cook as to the selection of the proper quantities of materials needed, as the stock must vary according to the kind and nature of the soup which is desired. The proper quantities of materials needed have been laid down in the first section of this chapter dealing with stocks, which describes the ordinary practice of French kitchens. The difference between broth or bouillon and consomme is very great. Broth is the liquor plain and simple as drawn from the first stock, seasoned and garnished according to taste and requirements. This includes fish, veal, chicken, rabbit, mutton, and beef broths. A bouillon is a broth unclarified, made from beef stock, a beef broth (pot-au-feu stock). Consomme is double broth- -that is, not merely in strength, but also in character. It is a beef broth which has been doubled with veal and fowl — the former (veal) to give it gelatinous substance, and the latter (fowl) to give it additional flavour. It must, however, be understood that while beef is the essential consideration for consomme stock, we are at liberty to add to it whatever else we have at com- mand ; remnants of other meat, veal, calves’ feet, the remains of fowl, a whole fowl, or a leg of mutton if wanted for table boiled, a piece of gammon, or even a ham, so long as the meat &c. used be perfectly fresh and healthful. This does not include scraps of stale meat or even bread, which are sometimes recommended as being good enough for the stock-pot. The necessary directions to be observed in making stock have been dwelt with in a previous section of this chapter, which may be summed up as follows : (a) The gradual production of heat up to boiling point. (b) The moderation of the boiling down to simmering, which must be kept up to the end. (c) Careful skimming. Upon these points being strictly observed the flavour as well as the clarification of a broth depends to a very large extent. Another detail, not less important, and one which applies to all soups, is that every particle of fat should be removed. We have already said that no soup, no matter of what kind, should ever be greasy ; that is why it is advisable to prepare the stock a day before it is required, and if convenient, to make a sufficient supply for two days.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Soups are divided into two groups : — I. The fat soups prepared with meat or meat stock. II. The lean soups (‘maigre’) prepared without meat. These are divided into two sections : — (a.) Clear soups. (b.) Thick soups. And these two sections are subdivided into five classes or chapters : — 1. Broths, consommes or clear soups, and garnishings. 2. Purees or thick soups. 3. Creams or filtered soups. 4. Fish soups, bisques and shell-fish soups, and purees made from fresh fish. 5. Cosmopolitan or mixed soup. Garnishings. — The garniture for either thick or clear soups consists of crusts, croutons, or sippets ; vegetables, either separate or mixed ; cream of game or poultry ; forcemeat balls, or quenelles of fish, meat, game or poultry, eggs ; custards made with eggs, or eggs and vegetable purees ; chiffonade (finely shredded green salad plants &c.) ; finely chopped or shredded herbs ; farinaceous preparations, nouilles, batters, Italian pastes, rice, semolina, barley, tapioca, &c. &c. Broths, Consommes, or Clear Soups. — In preparing stock for the above everything must be left to the judgment of the cook as to the selection of the proper quantities of materials needed, as the stock must vary according to the kind and nature of the soup which is desired. The proper quantities of materials needed have been laid down in the first section of this chapter dealing with stocks, which describes the ordinary practice of French kitchens. The difference between broth or bouillon and consomme is very great. Broth is the liquor plain and simple as drawn from the first stock, seasoned and garnished according to taste and requirements. This includes fish, veal, chicken, rabbit, mutton, and beef broths. A bouillon is a broth unclarified, made from beef stock, a beef broth (pot-au-feu stock). Consomme is double broth- -that is, not merely in strength, but also in character. It is a beef broth which has been doubled with veal and fowl — the former (veal) to give it gelatinous substance, and the latter (fowl) to give it additional flavour. It must, however, be understood that while beef is the essential consideration for consomme stock, we are at liberty to add to it whatever else we have at command ; remnants of other meat, veal, calves’ feet, the remains of fowl, a whole fowl, or a leg of mutton if wanted for table boiled, a piece of gammon, or even a ham, so long as the meat &c. used be perfectly fresh and healthful. This does not include scraps of stale meat or even bread, which are sometimes recommended as being good enough for the stock-pot. The necessary directions to be observed in making stock have been dwelt with in a previous section of this chapter, which may be summed up as follows : (a) The gradual production of heat up to boiling point. (b) The moderation of the boiling down to simmering, which must be kept up to the end. (c) Careful skimming. Upon these points being strictly observed the flavour as well as the clarification of a broth depends to a very large extent. Another detail, not less important, and one which applies to all soups, is that every particle of fat should be removed. We have already said that no soup, no matter of what kind, should ever be greasy ; that is why it is advisable to prepare the stock a day before it is required, and if convenient, to make a sufficient supply for two days.

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