Jellied beef stock

Here's a lesson for making three dishes from one recipe.

After making the jellied stock, Consommé and aspic can both be made from it, plus whatever else you'd use the stock for, soup, stew, gravy. Etc...

The recipe is for a vegetable – beef stock, for straight beef stock omit everything but the beef, onion and garlic.

Consommé is a clarified soup or stock, an aspic is a jellied stock that has had meat, vegetables or other food items placed in a mold with the jellied stock then chilled until it is set, exactly like jello salad but different.

Making stock, takes some time and dirties a lot of cookware! Most of the time needed does not require that you be there over the pot.

4 lb. Oxtail, seared
2 yellow onions
1 head garlic, split widthwise
1 large parsnip, quartered
2 carrots. quartered
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
handful celery leaves
2 inches fresh horseradish root, chopped
1 t, black pepper corns
1 t. white pepper corns
1 t. yellow mustard seed
1 whole nutmeg, quartered
3 bay leaves
6 springs marjoram
3 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 heavy pinch kosher salt
Water to cover
6 lb. Beef marrow bones, roasted
3 eggshells
3 egg whites

Sear the oxtail for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, while the meat is searing, chop the vegetables and herbs.

Place the herbs, vegetable and oxtail In a 10 to 12 quart stock pot, cover with water and cook over medium heat, once the water has reached a simmer reduce the heat Do No Boil!

Place the marrow bones on a baking sheet, roast in a 325° F. oven until well browned 45 to 60 minutes, remove bones to stockpot and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 hours.

Place a colander lined with cheesecloth over a 4 – 5 quart bowl, pour stock through the colander to strain.

Place bowl of stock in an ice bath to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Come morning you should have a nice bowl of beef jello, remove the fat disk from atop the bowl of stock, discard or use on toast, thats up to you.

Place the stock in a saucepan then heat over medium-low, while the stock comes to a simmer, place the egg whites and shells into a bowl, place the egg yolks in another bowl.

Mash the egg whites and egg shell together, when the stock just starts to bubble around the edges of the pan, reduce the heat and whisk the egg white/ shell mixture into it.

Watch the pot, the egg will start to combine with the stock, it will float to the top and make a dome. Gently move the dome back, and when the stock is clear, turn off the heat and let the Consommé cool for at least 2o minutes before straining the stock from under the egg. Use a spoon to hold the egg crust back while straining.

You now have Beef Consommé!

To make an aspic, place thinly sliced meat and or vegetables into a mold, cover with your Consommé then chill until set.

There you have it, stock, Consommé and Aspic in one recipe!