Bouillon

Bouillon is a traditional British recipe (adapted from a French original), based on Eliza Acton's recipe of 1845, for a classic soup base of beef slowly stewed in water with vegetables, herbs and spices that can be served as a soup or used as a flavour base for other dishes and where the meat is served as a separate dish. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Bouillon.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

300 minutes

Total Time:

320 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Wild FoodHerb RecipesBeef RecipesVegetable RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Eliza Acton's 1845 volume Modern Cookery, the first classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

BOUILLON
(The Common Soup or Beef-Broth of France; cheap, and very wholesome.)


     This soup, or broth as we should perhaps designate it in England, is made once or twice in the week, in every family of respectability in France ; and by the poorer classes as often as their means will enable them to substitute it for the vegetable or maigre soups, on which they are more commonly obliged to subsist. It is served usually on the first day with slices of untoasted Breads soaked in it; on the second, it is generally varied with vermicelli, rice, or semolina. The ingredients are, of course, often otherwise proportioned
than as we have given them, and more or less meat is allowed according to the taste or circumstances of the persons for whom
the bouillon is prepared; but the process of making it is always the same, and is thus described (rather lamedly) by one of the most
skilful cooks in Europe: "The stock-pot of the French artisan,
says Monsieur Carême, "supplies his principal nourishment; and it is thus managed by his wife, who, without the slightest knowledge of chemistry, conducts the process in a truly scientific manner. She first lays the meat into an earthen stock-pot, and pours cold water to it
it in the proportion of about two quarts to three pounds of beef; she then places it by the side of the fire, where it slowly
becomes hot; and as it does so, the heat enlarges the fibre of the meat, dissolves the gelatinous substances which it contains, allows the albumen (or the muscular part which produces the scum) to disengage
itself and rise to the surface, and the osmazome (which is the most savoury part of the meat) to be diffused through the broth. Thus, from
the simple circumstance of boiling in the gentlest manner, a relishing and
nutritious soup will be obtained, and a dish of tender and palatable meat; but if the pot be placed and kept over a quick fire, the albumen will coagulate, harden the meat, prevent the water from penetrating it, and the osmazome from disengaging itself; the result will be a broth without flavour or goodness, and a tough, dry bit of meat."

     It must be observed in addition, that as the meat of which the
bouillon is made, is almost invariably sent to table, a part of the rump, the mouse-buttock, or the leg-of-mutton piece of beef, should be
selected for it; and the simmering should be continued only until this is perfectly tender. When the object is simply to make good, pure-flavoured, beef broth, part of the shin or leg with a pound or two of
the neck, will best answer the purpose. When the bouilli (that is to
say, the beef which is boiled in the soup), is to be served, bind it into a good shape, add to it a calf's foot if easily procurable, as this much improves the quality of the bouillon; pour cold water to it in the proportion mentioned above, and proceed, as Monsieur Carême directs, to heat the soup slowly by the side of the fire; remove carefully the head of scum which will gather on the surface before the boiling commences, and continue the skimming at intervals for about twenty minutes longer, pouring in once or twice a little cold water.

Next, add salt in the proportion of two ounces to the gallon; this will cause
a little more scum to rise; clear it quite off and throw in three or
four turnips, as many carrots, half a head of celery, four or five young leeks, an onion stuck with six or eight cloves, a large half-spoon-ful of peppercorns, and a bunch of savoury herbs. Let the whole
stew very softly without ceasing, from four hours and a half to six
hours, according to the quantity: the beef in that time will be extremely
tender but not overdone. It will be excellent eating if properly
managed, and might often, we think, be substituted with great advantage for the hard, half-boiled, salted beef so often seen at an English table. It should be served with a couple of cabbages, which
have been first boiled in the usual way, then pressed very dry, and stewed for ten minutes in a little of the broth, and season with pepper and salt. The other vegetables from the bouillon may be laid round it or not at choice. The soup if served on the same day must be strained, well cleared from fat, and sent to table with
fried or toasted bread, unless the continental mode of putting slices or crusts of untoasted bread into the tureen, and soaking them for ten minutes in a ladleful or two of the bouillon, be, from custom, pre erred.

     Beef 8 to 9 lbs.; water, 6 quarts; salt, 3 oz. (more, if needed);
carrots, 4 to 6; turnips, 4 or 5; celery, one small head; leeks, 4 to
6; one onion, stuck with 6 cloves; peppercorns, one small teaspoonful; large bunch of savoury herbs (calf's foot if convenient); to simmer 5 to 6 hours.

Obs. 1.—This broth forms in France the foundation of all richer soups and gravies. Poured on fresh meat (a portion of which should
be veal) instead of water, it makes at once an excellent comommé or
strong jellied stock. If properly managed, it is very clear and pale; and with an additional weight of beef and some spoonful of glaze may easily be converted into an amber-coloured gravy-soup, suited to modern taste.

Obs. 2.—It is a common practice abroad to boil poultry, pigeons, and even game, in the pot-au-feu or soup-pot.* They should be properly trussed, stewed in the broth just long enough to render them tender, and served, when ready, with a good sauce. A small ham, if well soaked, washed exceedingly clean, and freed entirely from any
rusty or blackened parts, laid with the beef when the water is first
added to it, and boiled from three hours and a half to four hours in the bouillon, is very superior in flavour to those cooked in water only, and infinitely improves the soup, which cannot however so well be
eaten until the following day, when all the fat can easily be taken from it : it would, of course, require no salt.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

4kg beef (rump, shin or thick flank) [or a mix of good beef for serving and beef neck for flavouring]
6l water
90g salt
salt, to taste
100g carrots
5 turnips
1 small head of celery
5 leeks
1 onion, peeled and stuck with 6 cloves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
1 bunch of savory herbs (colt's foot is recommended)

Method:

Trim the beef and bind with butcher's twine (or have the butcher do this for you), as the beef in this recipe can be served as a main course once it has been simmered to make the bouillon.

Combine the meat and water in a large pot. Place half over the hob on the lowest possible setting and bring very slowly to a simmer. Skim off any scum as it rises and as soon as the liquid has come to a simmer add the salt. Continue skimming the surface then add the vegetables, peppercorns and savoury herbs.

Bring back to a simmer then reduce to the lowest possible simmer, cover with a lid and continue stewing very gently for about 5 hours.

After this time, remove the good cuts of beef and serve with cabbages and boiled potatoes (you can also serve the stewed vegetables from making the bouillon to accompany).

Strain the soup broth from the pan and pour into a bowl to cool then skim off and blot off any fat from the surface. Once clear, the bouillon can be re-heated and served as a soup, accompanied by toasted Breads. Or it can be used as the broth base for other soups.

Find more Eliza Acton Recipes Here and more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here.