The European cookbook for American homes (from Italy, Spain, Portugal and France)

Bouillabaisse (or boui-abaisso, in the Provencal dialect) means to "boil up and stop," and the secret of the preparation lies in a hot fire and rapid cooking. The water, mixed with wine, must be boiling fast; the hard fish — lobster, crabs, eel, ray, and such gamey fish as bass, sea trout, and salmon — must be thrown in first and rapidly boiled for 5 minutes. Then the tender fish — such as cod, rock fish, snappers, etc. — are added and cooked but another 5 minutes. This leaves all fish slices shapely. Boiling ceases and the pot is kept hot while lobster is taken out, the meat extracted, and claws cracked, meat being returned to pot. The cracked claws are used to garnish the platter of fish, along with the whole crabs. Fish and broth are both served like aigo-sau. CONSOMME For 3 quarts: 3 pounds shin beef 6 carrots, sliced 3 pounds veal knuckle 1 young turnip, sliced 3 tablespoons butter 3 cloves 1 pound marrow bone 4 onions, sliced 2 tablespoons salt 2 celery stalks, sliced 1 tablespoon peppercorns Herb bouquet 1 egg white and shell Cut beef and veal in cubes. Brown beef with butter in a hot kettle. Cool, add 3 quarts of cold water, the marrow-bone and veal. Heat slowly to the boiling point, then simmer for 5 hours, replenishing with boiling water. 6 quarts should be used, in all. Remove scum from the broth as it gathers at the sides. After cooking for 3 hours, add salt, peppercorns, carrots, turnip, cloves, onions, celery and bouquet. Continue simmering for 3 hours, then strain through cloth. When cool remove fat. Add egg white and shell, bring to boiling point slowly, then strain again. Serve hot as a clear soup; or chilled and jellied (no gelatine necessary) ; or use as a basis for any of the following special consommes such as: consomme a l'Andalouse, a la Bagration, a la Beauvilliers, a la Barigoule, a la Bouerdaloue, a la Careme, a la chatelaine, a la Colbert, a la duchesse, a l'epicure, a la Monte Carlo, a la royal, a la St. Xavier; or consomme Andalousienne, Julienne, au quenelles, and de volaille, a whole index of consommes, down through the alphabet, comprising nearly a hundred in all. For consomme is one of the devices of the conventionalized French cuisine, and the standby of the restaurant chef, who adds a little of this vegetable or that garnishing to satisfy the requirements of a long list of soups served "a la carte." One of them tastes not unlike another. Of these, consomme chevalier and consomme Talleyrand are typical and illustrate the method of all special consommes. CONSOMME CHEVALIER Add to boiling consomme small chicken dumplings; and chicken breast and smoked beef tongue, cut julienne. CONSOMME TALLEYRAND Put 4 grated truffles in soup tureen; add ^2 cup very dry sherry, and 1 pinch cayenne. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Then pour over 3 pints hot consomme, in which has been boiled 2 tablespoons tapioca. CONSOMME A LA MONTE CARLO This gay gambler's broth is dedicated to the game rooms of the great roulette Casino at Monte Carlo.