Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons chicken, goose, or pork fat

• 30 garlic cloves, peeled

• 6-8 cups chicken stock

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste nutmeg, as needed

• 4-5 egg yolks

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

• 6-8 slices country bread, toasted

Method Of Prep

1. Melt the fat in a large, heavy saucepan over low heat.

2. Add the garlic and shake over gentle heat so the garlic cooks without browning. It should just melt in the fat; letting it brown is fatal as the flavor turns bitter.

3. Add the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Grate a tiny bit of nutmeg in, if desired.

5. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, and then force through a sieve or food mill to purée the garlic.

6. Reheat the soup.

7. Beat the egg yolks and stir in the olive oil. Stir some of the hot soup into the egg yolk mixture to temper them, and then stir it very gently into the soup and heat until warmed through.

8. Do not under any circumstances let the soup come to a boil, or the yolks will curdle.

9. Serve in large soup plates, ladling the soup over pieces of crisp toast, one to a plate.