Master Stocks
Basic
Fish Stock
Ingredients:
600g snapper, bones and head
2 shallots
1 brown onion
1 leek, white part only
1 celery heart
5 fresh mushrooms
1/4 fennel bulb
2 cloves of garlic, halved
1 1/2 tbs butter, salted
1 cup of dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 lemon
5 stalks of parsley
2 stalks of dill
1 tsp sea salt
8 white peppercorns, cracked
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.
For fish consomme, clarify the stock with this farce once the stock
is cool:
Ingredients
for farce:
500g snapper fillets
1 large, ripe tomato
1/2 celery heart
1/2 stalk of leek, white only
6 coriander roots
1 red chilli
5 mushrooms
2 cm knob fresh laos root, grated (see note)
1/2 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1g saffron
5 eggwhites
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.
Basic brown chicken
stock
This
stock is used for making chicken jus and as a base for other sauces that
require a meat glaze. If you want to use this stock with other meats, then
lightly brown off the meat trimmings and add them to the stock. This stock can
also be used to bolster a fish stock, before reducing it to a glaze. It relies
on the gelatinous parts of the chicken.
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.
Chicken Jus
Method:
Reduce brown chicken stock to one third.
Basic White Chicken
Stock
Because
it has not been exposed to dry heat, white chicken stock does not brown. It is
used for general purposes, such as soups and sauces and dishes where colour is important,
such as vegetables, rice and cream or white coloured sauces. It is also used as
a moistening agent in many Asian dishes.
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.
Basic Chicken
Fumet and Farce for Clarification
Ingredients:
1 small leek, pale part only
1 large brown onion
2 small celery stalks, pale part only
150g button mushrooms
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf
4kg chicken wings, leg bones and carcases
1 tbs butter, salted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
20 black peppercorns, crushed with salt
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.
Basic Brown Veal
Stock
A
most versatile stock used for soups and sauces.
Brown Beef Stock is basically made the same way, using beef instead of veal.
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.
Basic Veal Jus
Principally
used for sauces, veal jus requires a similar method to Brown Veal Stock. In
fact, you could achieve almost the same result by simply reducing the Brown
Veal Stock to one third. However, the following recipe is richer and more
gelatinous.
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.
Basic Brown Lamb
Stock
This
stock is used for lamb dishes. It can also be reduced to form a lamb jus, which
is used in lamb and hogget dishes to enrich the sauce. Should you want a rich
stock for a goat dish, simply use goat instead of lamb.
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.
Basic Kangaroo or
Game Stock
This
stock is mainly used for making kangaroo jus to enrich sauces to accompany
kangaroo dishes. Brown Veal stock or Veal Jus can be used instead. This is also
a great game stock, just use venison instead of kangaroo!
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.
Basic Fresh Tomato
Puree
Note:
If you can't find the fleshy, rich, ripe tomatoes that make for a good puree,
then add one cup of tinned tomato puree, (or 2 tins
of canned, peeled tomatoes, strained) NOT tomato paste.
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)
Basic Shellfish
Stock
This
stock is used to flavour sauces for many kinds of different shellfish or to add
and intensify the taste of shellfish dishes. The following recipe is for prawn
stock. You can use the same recipe for any other kind of shellfish, from
Moreton Bay Bugs to Lobster.
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.
Fragrance
enhancer for Brown Stocks - specifically for use with sauces
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.