ACF Stocks, Sauces, and Soups 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What ingredient forms the 'raft' that clarifies consommé during the clarification process?
- Gelatin dissolved in cold water
- Clearmeat of ground lean meat, mirepoix, acid, and egg whites (Correct answer)
- Cornstarch slurry added off heat
- Heavy cream and salt mixed together
Correct answer: Clearmeat of ground lean meat, mirepoix, acid, and egg whites
The clearmeat mixture rises to form a raft as proteins coagulate, trapping impurities and clarifying the stock beneath it.
Question 2: Demi-glace is traditionally produced by combining and reducing equal parts of which two components?
- Espagnole sauce and brown veal stock (Correct answer)
- Velouté sauce and white chicken stock
- Béchamel sauce and heavy cream
- Tomato sauce and red wine reduction
Correct answer: Espagnole sauce and brown veal stock
Demi-glace is made by combining equal parts Espagnole sauce and brown veal stock and reducing the mixture by half to concentrate flavor.
Question 3: Velouté sauce is prepared by thickening which liquid with a blond roux?
- Whole milk or cream
- Heavy cream only
- White stock (veal, chicken, or fish) (Correct answer)
- Brown stock or demi-glace
Correct answer: White stock (veal, chicken, or fish)
Velouté is a mother sauce made by thickening a white stock — veal, chicken, or fish — with a blond roux, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture.
Question 4: Why is an acid such as vinegar or white wine sometimes added when preparing stock?
- To prevent bacterial growth during simmering
- To extract collagen from bones and convert it to gelatin (Correct answer)
- To season and balance the final flavor profile
- To act as a natural clarifying agent
Correct answer: To extract collagen from bones and convert it to gelatin
Adding an acid helps break down collagen in the bones, facilitating its conversion to gelatin, which gives stock its body and richness.
Question 5: What is the correct sequence of steps when preparing a cream of vegetable soup?
- Sweat aromatics → add liquid → cook vegetable → purée → add cream (Correct answer)
- Add liquid → cook vegetable → sweat aromatics → purée → add cream
- Purée raw vegetable → add liquid → sweat aromatics → add cream
- Add cream → sweat aromatics → cook vegetable → add liquid → purée
Correct answer: Sweat aromatics → add liquid → cook vegetable → purée → add cream
Cream soups follow the sequence of sweating aromatics first to develop flavor, then adding liquid and cooking the vegetable, puréeing, and finishing with cream.
Question 6: In sauce-making, a 'liaison' is defined as which type of thickening and enriching agent?
- A paste of equal parts softened butter and flour (beurre manié)
- A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream added to finish a sauce (Correct answer)
- A reduction of white wine and vinegar used as a sauce base
- A stock made from fish bones and aromatics
Correct answer: A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream added to finish a sauce
A liaison is a mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream that enriches and slightly thickens a sauce when added off heat, preventing curdling from direct heat.
Question 7: Which soup is traditionally made from shellfish, thickened with rice or bread historically, and strained to a smooth, velvety texture?
- Chowder
- Bisque (Correct answer)
- Velouté soup
- Broth-based consommé
Correct answer: Bisque
A bisque is a classic French cream soup made from shellfish, historically thickened with rice, and strained until silky-smooth and velvety.
ACF Stocks, Sauces, and Soups 2
What ingredient forms the 'raft' that clarifies consommé during the clarification process?