Soup a L'aille

Elmotoo's Note:

This is THE best garlic soup EVER. It's from my much used & loved 'Feast of Soups' cookbook by Jacqueline Heriteau.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 large heads of garlic
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 quarts cold water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 large whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon sage
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 6 -8 pieces French bread , toasted & buttered
• ½ cup grated swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Separate the garlic cloves & scald 1 minute. Slip off & discard skins & scalding water.
2. In a kettle over medium heat, combine cold water, garlic, salt, pepper, cloves, parsley, & oil. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, & simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. With a slotted spoon, lift out the cloves, parsley, & garlic. Discard parsley & cloves. Puree the garlic with 2c of broth, in a blender or food processor, or press through a sieve.
4. In a medium bowl beat the egg yolks until thick. Whip in the butter, then the garlic puree, then 1c broth. Whip this mixture into the kettle. Reheat to just below boiling, but do not boil.
5. To serve: Place a piece of French bread, toasted & buttered in the bottom of each soup bowl & sprinkle generously with cheese. Ladle the soup over the bread.
6. To make ahead: Complete through Step 3, then finish just before serving.

Reviews

[JanuaryBride]

The crouton was EXCELLENT soaked in the soup, however we found the soup itself to be a bit bland and broth-like. I would have preferred more of a creamy soup. We served it aside some salad for a nice vegetarian meal this evening. THanks!

[brithebaker]

A note, you have actually written "wing soup" here. To say garlic soup you would write "soupe à l'ail." No matter what the name, it sounds nice.

[ThatSouthernBelle]

Awesome! It smelled so good that I started making a second batch before the first was even through cooking so that there would be enough! I thought it would be a little "weird" with all the garlic but it was soooooo good! I do think that the salt could be cut down to 1/2 tablespoon. I added about 1/3 cup of Kefir to mask the salt and that worked out really good for me. Also I didn't know when to put the thyme and sage in because they aren't listed in the directions, so I just threw the fresh stuff into the blender with the egg yolks. Thanks for posting. I'm going to go have myself another bowl... despite it be midnight! Ciao, Bella