Garlic Soup Update

Kat, lucky girl that she is, seems to have caught the bug that has been going around and, after looking at an earlier blog post (Garlic Dreams, Sept. 15) requested a pot of Garlic Soup. As it turns out, we have a freezer full of homemade chicken broth, due to the fact that we make a pot every time we eat a chicken or turkey (or anything else I can make broth out of) and freeze it for winter soups. Even though in my post the other day I said that I've tried working with different broths in making Garlic Soup, it occured to me that I've never tried making this recipe with chicken broth. Now seemed like an ideal time to try.

I pulled out 2 quart-sized jars of broth from the freezer and thawed them. In a large pan I bought the broth to a boil and turned off the heat. I didn't add black pepper, as my broth tends to be well seasoned.

From there, I made the recipe as I usually do. Instead of french bread, I cut and trimmed a couple of thick slices off the loaf of Egg Bread I baked a couple days ago and toasted them under the broiler. The house was so pungent with the smell of garlic, even Kat with her clogged sinuses noticed. After whisking in the egg yolks, the soup took on its signature cloudy, almost creamy, appearance. I ladelled the soup over the top of the cheese covered bread, which melts the Monterey Jack into a mass of gooey goodness and sprinkled the top with chopped fresh parsley.

The flavor of the soup with the chicken broth was absolutely outstanding! It had a very different character from the beef based version and, because I used homemade broth, it was much more complex. It was every bit as good as the original version, if not better!

So there you have it, Chicken Garlic Soup. Something to keep you warm and healthy on those cold days when everyone else is sick!