From Ruhlman's book about his time at the CIA. I had never heard this before, and now I'm anxious to try it. I went Googling to get clarification (hah) because in the book, he mentions using ground meat with the egg, and found this (below), which explains it much like it was in the book. The "raft" or "island" seems to behave as a sieve in some ways, but it's also the coagulation of protein that forms a matrix that then attracts and traps other proteins, not just mechanically but chemically as well (which, incidentally, is a process remarkably similar to that which occurs in prion-type diseases, like mad cow and Alzheimers)
ground lean meat, vegetables, and egg whites are mixed to form what is professionally referred to as a clarification or raft. This rather unappetizing mass is responsible for the success of your consommé. It needs to be first completely mixed into the cold stock. This murky liquid is then placed on a moderately hot burner and slowly brought to a boil. It is important to periodically stir the bottom of the pot to insure that part of the raft does not stick to the bottom and burn (which ruins the consommé). As the liquid heats up, the "raft" will start to coagulate which means that it will start to come together and slowly rise to the surface. Once the raft begins to form and rise, it is imperative that it is not stirred as this could break the raft which could then in turn ruin the consommé. Once the consommé comes to a bare light boil, reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 30 minutes to 3 hours, depending on the quality of the stock you start with. Let me explain why this murky raft creates such a perfectly clear soup. As the raft comes together and rises, it cleans up the stock by trapping all the impurities in it. Once the stock has come to a boil and the raft has risen to the surface, the soup should already be perfectly clear. The consommé is then gently simmered as long as it takes to intensify the flavor. Longer cooking intensifies and deepens the flavor. Sometimes, the entire clarification procedure is repeated in which case the consommé becomes a double or triple consommé and is then accordingly more intensely flavored. When the stock is cooked long enough, it must be strained. This is particularly tricky as the consommé must be gently ladled from the pot without disturbing the raft any more than is necessary. The ladled consommé must be strained through a strainer lined with a coffee filter or clean cloth napkin. This will ensure that the consommé is perfectly clear. If there is fat floating on top of the consommé, it must be removed (easily done by chilling the consommé and simply removing the solid fat from the top).
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