This section is from "Every Woman's Encyclopaedia". Also available from Amazon: Every Woman's Encyclopaedia.
First remove every vestige of fat from the top of the stock, and, if it has set in a jelly, wipe the surface with a cloth wrung out in very hot water. If there is any grease left on, it will never be really clear.
Often, if the stock has been boiled slowly and every scrap of fat carefully removed, it will be quite clear without clarifying it. Merely re-heat it, then ladle it very gently into a clean fine cloth or old dinner napkin, placed in a sieve or colander over a basin. Be sure not to stir the contents of the cloth nor yet press them.
If, however, the stock is cloudy, take for every two quarts of stock:
Half a pound of raw lean beef, one small carrot, turnip, and onion, the shell and white of an egg, a bunch of sweet herbs.
Cut off every scrap of fat from the meat, and pass the lean through a mincing machine. Put the stock into a saucepan, warm it just enough to make it liquid; then add the minced beef, whisk it in with an egg-whisk, and let it stand for ten minutes. Wash the eggshell thoroughly, crush it in your hand, and add it to the soup, also the white of egg whipped to a light froth, the vegetables (left whole), and the herbs.
Let the soup boil well up in the pan, draw it to the side of the fire and let it settle; then pour it into a clean cloth placed in a sieve or colander over a basin. After straining it, it is ready to be re-heated, seasoned, and served with any garnish required.
If, however, it is not perfectly clear, it should be put back in the pan with the egg-shell, etc., and be boiled and whisked again; if the cloudiness still remains, add a fresh white of egg.
 
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