Recipe Courtesy of Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France
One of my favorite new cookbooks hailing from France’s beloved Mimi Thorisson (a noteworthy food blogger and French TV personality) is her compendium of fabulous French recipes in A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse. Rustic and charming, both in its content and visual appeal, this is one of the top 10 French cookbooks to add to your collection in my opinion. One of the first recipes of Mimi’s that I decided to try was her ‘Garlic Soup with Duck Fat’. Having kept duck fat in my fridge from searing a couple of duck breasts a few weeks ago, I was excited to use it in this intruiging recipe.
A simple soup of sautéed garlic and onion in duck fat, covered in chicken stock and flavored with fresh thyme, this lovely soup is pureed and finished off with fried garlic pieces for even more yummy garlicky flavor. I loved the idea as well as a last minute enriching technique of whipped egg whites and egg yolks into the warm soup, along with a touch of sherry vinegar. An utterly delectable soup that really focuses on the love of garlic and the simplicity of rustic French cuisine.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
‘Garlic Soup with Duck Fat’
Ingredients:
- Recipe from Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen in France cookbook
- 2 Tablespoons duck fat or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 whole head of garlic, plus 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken stock
- Salt & pepper
- fresh thyme, a few sprigs
- 1 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving, if desired
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
Directions:
- In a large pot, heat the duck fat over medium high heat. Cook the onion for 2 minutes. Add the sliced head of garlic and cook until softened but not brown, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir well, then pour in the stock and bring to a low boil. Season with salt and pepper, add the thyme sprigs, lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Fry the remaining 2 sliced garlic cloves until golden and slightly crispy, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
- Puree the soup in batches in a blender. (Or use an immersion blender like I did!) Return the soup to the pot and set over medium heat.
- Beat the egg whites in a small bowl and then drizzle, whisking constantly, into the soup. You should see thin strands of egg white form in the soup; immediately remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the vinegar in a small bowl, then slowly add a little of the soup, again whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkel with the fried garlic, and drizzle with a few drops of olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately.
Tagged: A Kitchen in France, chicken stock, duck fat, France, French, French soup, fried garlic, garlic soup, Mimi Thorisson, sherry vinegar, soup, thyme
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