Garlic Soup
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 24, 2009
Time
2 hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
4 slices hearty country-style bread, cut ½ inch thick (about 6 ounces)1 medium clove garlic, peeledSoup
4 medium heads garlic (about 11 ounces total), smashed½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 7 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade2 cups water 2 Parmesan cheese rinds, each about 5 by 2 inches4 sprigs fresh parsley 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 2 large eggs, beaten lightly2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely gratedSalt and ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakesBefore You Begin
This recipe must be served once the eggs have been added. If you want to prepare the liquid base in advance, strain the liquid as directed in step 6 and then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, reheat the liquid, take the pan off the heat, cool slightly, and then stir in the egg mixture and hot red pepper flakes. If you like, the croutons can be made in advance and stored at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry and crisp, about 10 minutes, turning over the bread slices halfway through the baking time. While still hot, rub the surface of the bread with the raw garlic clove. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.
- Bring the smashed garlic, olive oil, and 1 cup chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the garlic is soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon, about 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring the remaining 6 cups chicken stock, water, Parmesan rinds, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the stock is flavorful, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the simmered garlic mixture to the pot with the chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the garlic flavor is infused into the stock, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs and grated cheese in a small bowl with a fork until combined.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing on the solids with a spoon to extract all the liquid. Return the stock to a clean large saucepan (off heat) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the hot red pepper flakes and the egg mixture. Add several croutons to individual bowls, ladle the soup over the croutons, and serve immediately.
for the croutons
for the soup
Time
2 hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Garlic Croutons
Soup
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
When developing our garlic soup recipe, we favored a method that called for poaching minced garlic in olive oil until it was soft and mild tasting before adding the garlic and oil to chicken stock, which we enriched with eggs before serving. To get around the tiresome task of peeling and mincing four heads of garlic, we smashed the heads and then poached the garlic with the skin on, separating it out later by forcing it through a fine-mesh strainer. The method worked beautifully, resulting in a deeply flavorful garlic paste that gave our garlic soup recipe the deep garlic flavor and heady finish we had been looking for.
Before You Begin
This recipe must be served once the eggs have been added. If you want to prepare the liquid base in advance, strain the liquid as directed in step 6 and then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, reheat the liquid, take the pan off the heat, cool slightly, and then stir in the egg mixture and hot red pepper flakes. If you like, the croutons can be made in advance and stored at room temperature in an airtight plastic bag.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry and crisp, about 10 minutes, turning over the bread slices halfway through the baking time. While still hot, rub the surface of the bread with the raw garlic clove. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and set aside.
- Bring the smashed garlic, olive oil, and 1 cup chicken stock to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the garlic is soft enough to mash with the back of a spoon, about 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring the remaining 6 cups chicken stock, water, Parmesan rinds, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the stock is flavorful, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the simmered garlic mixture to the pot with the chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the garlic flavor is infused into the stock, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs and grated cheese in a small bowl with a fork until combined.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing on the solids with a spoon to extract all the liquid. Return the stock to a clean large saucepan (off heat) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the hot red pepper flakes and the egg mixture. Add several croutons to individual bowls, ladle the soup over the croutons, and serve immediately.
for the croutons
for the soup
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