Beer Potage
http://www.geekychef.com/2020/04/beer-potage.html
From The Blood of Elves (The Witcher Series #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski
In The Blood of Elves, Ciri and Triss are enjoying dinner at Kaer Morhen, dinner being "beer potage, thick with cheese and croutons." Potage is a French word, meaning a thick and creamy soup. Initially, I was thinking this was along the lines of German beer and cheddar soup, but apparently Polish beer soup is a little different. It's heavier and sweet, almost like a smooth porridge. It's very filling. I recommend using Żywiec Porter, a wonderful Polish import, but any full bodied dark beer will do. So sit down, toss a coin to your Witcher, and eat some hearty beer potage.
Ingredients
For the Rye Croutons:
- 2 cups cubed Sourdough Rye (slightly stale)
- 1 tbs Olive Oil
- 1 tbs Unsalted Butter, melted
- Salt (to taste)
For the soup:
- 1 cup Żywiec Porter (or substitution of your choice)
- 4 Egg Yolks
-
6 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar (or to taste)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Lemon Zest
- Plain Cheese Curds (to taste)
Directions
To make the rye croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread, olive oil, butter, salt and pepper. Stir around, making sure the bread pieces are coated.
- Spread the bread cubes out on a sheet pan, giving them plenty of space in between.
- Bake the bread cubes for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and crisp.
For the soup:
- Add the egg yolks and sugar to a small or medium saucepan. Beat with a whisk until the color lightens to a pale yellow. While continuing to whisk, slowly pouring in the cream.
- Put the saucepan with the cream mixture on the stove and turn the heat to low. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- Once the mixture is warm but not simmering, start slowly pour in the beer, gently stirring it in until fully incorporated. Add in the cloves, cinnamon and lemon zest.
- Continue to heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the the soup thickens. Once it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, like a thin custard, it's ready for serving. Taste and add more sugar and/or spices, if desired.
- Heat the cheese curds in the microwave for 5-8 seconds.
-
Add the cheese curds to the bowls you're using for serving. Fill the serving bowls with the beer soup and sprinkle the croutons on top.