Photo: Theo Stroomer
The Farm at Brush Creek is located on a 30,000-acre Wyoming luxury ranch resort, and chef Angus McIntosh takes full advantage of the property’s bounty in this eye-catching consommé, which features many ingredients raised, grown, or foraged on-site.
McIntosh first encountered the glass gravity siphon—a tool often used for making coffee—at the Bocuse d’Or chef competition. “I wanted to use it in a tableside presentation, and it seemed like the perfect modern way to showcase a traditional recipe like beef consommé,” he says.
Brush Creek Ranch owner Bruce White went to Kobe, Japan, to select a breed of wagyu cattle—Akaushi, or red, wagyu—for the farm. “This breed has a different muscle-to-fat composition than that of most cattle,” McIntosh says. “The fat has an umami richness, and it’s so tender you can eat it with a fork—no steak knife needed.” The kitchen browns the bones to make stock, which is then fortified, reduced, and clarified.
The stock goes in the siphon and is heated so that it rises to the top chamber, where it steeps for about 45 seconds with fresh herbs and vegetables (such as chervil, leeks, and fennel) from the resort’s 20,000-square-foot greenhouse. McIntosh bolsters the flavor with dehydrated carrots, celery, and onions, plus juniper, which he says “you’ll find everywhere you look during hikes” around the ranch.
“We want our menus to reflect total utilization, so it made sense to feature bone marrow,” McIntosh says. “We used eggs and cream from our creamery to make a custard, which rests on the bottom of the bowl [with toasted farro] for an unctuous addition that brings balance and complexity.”
