Waterzooie - Flemish Chicken Soup

This came in my email through Gourmet-recipes-from-around-the-World. Chicken soup is one my favorite soups. I will use leftover roasted chicken when I make this recipe - it's too easy to roast 2 or 3 at a time - more economical & everyone eats their favorite - the rest of the carcasses go into the soup pot! Use a cheese cloth bag (2 or 3 layers of cheesecloth around the spices) to hold the parsley, thyme, nutmeg, peppercorns & bay leaf. Original author suggested an aluminum foil packet with holes punched in it - that would work too.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6  lbs chicken, cut serving pieces, with giblets
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 5  leeks, cut big chunks
• 5  celery ribs, cut big chunks
• 2  carrots, cut big chunks
• 2  onions, peeled (each stuck with 2 whole cloves)
• 6  parsley sprigs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 10  peppercorns
• 1  bay leaf
• 8  cups  chicken stock
• 1  cup dry white wine
• 1  lemon, juiced
• 4  egg yolks
• 3⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 8  lemon slices, paper-thin
• 2  tablespoons parsley, minced

Directions

1. Rub the chicken pieces with butter, then broil, 4 to 5 inches away from the heat, for 20 minutes, turning often.
2. When lightly browned, put in a kettle with the giblets, and all the rest of the ingredients except for the lemon juice, egg yolks and cream. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or more (less for fryers), until the chicken is tender.
3. Remove chicken and giblets from the broth and cool. Discard the cheese cloth or aluminum foil packet.
4. Strain the broth and skim off the fat. (If you're not serving the soup immediately, you could put the broth in the freezer to make the skimming easier.) Return broth to kettle and stir in the lemon juice.
5. When ready to serve, cut the chicken in big chunks and mince the giblets. Remove bones and skin. Bring the broth to a simmer, then return the chicken and giblets to the broth. Heat through, covered, for 5 minutes.
6. When ready to serve, beat the eggs and cream together, then beat a cup of the simmering broth into the egg cream and whisk the whole mixture back into the kettle.
7. Rewarm at very low heat for a couple of minutes; don't bring to a boil or it will curdle! Ladle into deep souplates then float a thin lemon slice, sprinkled with parsley, in each one.
8. Serve hot.