Cold Chicken Velouté for Supper

Ingredients

• 30 grams butter
• 35 grams flour
• 1 liter consommé (clear, concentrated cooking stock)
• 0.5 liter consommé
• 250 milliliters light fresh cream
• tomato or pepper essence (optional)
• crayfish, shrimp, or game cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Make a roux (roux blanc) with 30 grams of butter and 35 grams of flour per liter of consommé. Proceed as for an ordinary velouté (velouté ordinaire), using clear, well-flavored consommé. Allow the velouté to simmer and reduce for 1 hour and 30 minutes, adding half the quantity of consommé used for the initial binding during this skimming phase.
2. Once the velouté is thoroughly skimmed and completely degreased (dégraissé), pass it through a silk tamis (fine-mesh strainer). Per liter of strained velouté, add 250 milliliters of light, very fresh cream (Normandy fleurette cream is particularly suitable). Cool the soup while continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. Pass through the tamis once more, and adjust the consistency with a little additional consommé if needed, so that the finished velouté has the consistency of a bound consommé (consommé lié).
3. If desired, enhance with a subtle addition of tomato or pepper essence, or with a cream of crayfish, shrimp, or game—just enough to impart a discreet savory note without dominating the delicate chicken flavor.