Creamy Garlic Soup

This is a French-style garlic soup built on a classic technique. A whole bulb gets blanched, peeled, and simmered for 30 minutes with cloves, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley until the broth is deeply aromatic and the garlic is completely soft.

The real trick is the finishing step. Egg yolks get beaten until thick, then olive oil is drizzled in drop by drop, exactly like making a mayonnaise. This liaison is what gives the soup its silky, creamy texture without any cream at all. Tempering with a ladleful of hot broth before straining in the rest keeps the eggs from scrambling.

Serve it immediately over toasted baguette rounds with plenty of grated Swiss or Parmesan. The bread soaks up that golden broth and the cheese melts into strings with every spoonful.

Chef Tips

• Blanching the garlic for 30 seconds before peeling makes the skins slip right off. Skip this and you’ll be fighting each clove.
• Beat the oil into the yolks very slowly at first. If you rush it, the liaison breaks and the soup turns grainy instead of smooth.
• Strain the finished soup through a fine mesh sieve while pressing hard on the garlic. All that flavor is trapped in the softened cloves.
• Serve immediately after combining. The egg liaison loses its body if it sits or gets reheated.

Variations

• Add a splash of dry white wine to the broth during the simmer for a sharper, more complex flavor.
• Use roasted garlic instead of blanched for a sweeter, more caramelized soup.
• Float a poached egg in each bowl for a heartier Provençal-style presentation.