Before coming to the CIA and receiving formal culinary training, mastering consommés were foreign to me. Getting exposure to this opened my eyes that cooking and perfecting things are a true skill I need to learn to be at the top of my culinary game.

Ingredients

• 2 shallots roughly chopped
• 1 jumbo carrot julienned
• 6 egg whites
• 2 quarts dark chicken stock

Garnish

• 1 cup English peas
• 1 cup sauteed morel mushrooms
• 1 cup pearl onions cut in half and charred face
• Pea tendrils
• Cheesecloth for technique needs

Directions

1. In a food processor, purée the chicken breast and shallots to form a smooth paste. You can also use an immersion blender in place of a food processor. Place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and purée.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy and add the chicken mousseline to the whites.
3. In a D5 8 qt stainless steel stock pot, add the chicken stock. Whisk in the chicken and egg white mixture on medium low heat slowly stirring. Be mindful not to break up the raft but stirring so the raft doesn’t stick to the bottom and scorch.
4. Once the whites start to coagulate and float to the top the raft will form. Reduce to low heat and taste the stock and add any salt if needed.
5. Once the raft is solid, use a ladle to filter the stock in to the cheese cloth. Be careful not to break the raft releasing the impurities.
6. In a separate fry pan gently warm the spring vegetables and garnish with tendrils and pour the consommé table side.

Pro Tip

This is a challenging dish to create. It is delicate in nature where the raft must be intact to be able to achieve the pure clear broth that a consommé delivers. A raft is a combination of ingredients that are added to clarify broth by trapping the impurities and then rising to the surface in a floating mass.

RECIPE BY

Nina Compton

Nina Compton was born and raised in St. Lucia. She grew up with the flavors and beauty of the Caribbean and pursued her career in the United States. She graduated from America’s finest culinary school and developed skills that allowed her to be an award-winning chef and restauranteur. She is the chef/owner of Compère Lapin in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. Nina also has a second restaurant venture, Bywater American Bistro (BABs), located in New Orleans’ “Sliver by the River” Bywater neighborhood.

Since opening Compère Lapin, the restaurant has received critical acclaim awards including Eater National's "Best Restaurants in America 2017", a rave review in The New York Times, and Top 10 Winner of Playboy's Best New Bars in America 2016. At Compère Lapin, the talented toque creates robust dishes that meld the flavors of her Caribbean upbringing and love for French and Italian cuisine, while highlighting the Gulf and Louisiana’s beautiful indigenous ingredients. Nina is the winner of the 2018 James Beard Awards “Best Chef: South” and one of Food & Wine magazine’s "Best New Chefs 2017".