Thursday, August 02, 2007

French Journey continued....

I have been some what culinarily distracted...easy to happen in the big city...one day Greek, next day Turkish, Japanese etc.

So where was I...Day 2 of the French Culinary Challenge. This is how it went...

Woke with vigour...croissants and coffee fo breakfast will I ever get sick of this?!!

Breakfast was quick as I had a busy day at work ahead of me. Lunch I had prepared the night before, so I grabbed it from the fridge on my way out the door.

Garlic Soup

2 bulbs of garlic(about 30 cloves), separated
125ml of olive oil
125g streaky bacon, finely chopped
1 large potato, diced
6 Cups (1.5 litres) of chicken stock
3 egg yolks
1 tsp thyme, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp oregano, 3 whole pepporcorns tied up in small piece of muslin (otherwise known as a bouquet garni)

Method
1. Smash and peel the garlic (smashing it makes it easier to peel)
2. Heat 1 Tb of the oil and cook the bacon over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and potato and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add the stock and bouquet garni and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Put the egg yolks into a deep conical bowl. Begin whisking, gradually adding the oil in a thin stream. Continue whisking until it has thickened (this is a basic mayonnaise base). Whisk this mixture into the hot soup. Strain the mixture into another bowl or saucepan. Season to taste and gently reheat.

Serve this with a fresh baguette or another fresh crusty bread.

You may wonder why I chose this soup (garlic and all) to eat at work, but the garlic is well cooked and you shouldn't really have any breath problems unless you are particuarly sensitive.