Beer Potage

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 slightly sweet, almost like a smooth porridge, and 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
1 cup Żywiec Porter (or substitution of your choice)
4 Egg Yolks
4 tbs Light Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
3-5 Whole Cloves
Cinnamon (to taste)
Cheese Curds (to taste)
Rye Croutons* (to taste)

Directions
1) Put the egg yolks and four spoonfuls of the sugar into a small pot or saucepan. Mix with teaspoon and grate for a few minutes, until mixture changes the colour on brighter.
Constantly stirring pour half a cup of the cream slowly.
Put the pot with mass you've already obtained on the cooker. Start gentle heating, so that the cream warms up slowly.
Soon, when mixture becomes lightly warm, start pouring the beer slowly. Use about 0.8-1 of the liter of the beer and mix.
Add five cloves and the pinch of the cinnamon. Taste and add more cinnamon, if you like it.
Heat farther, as far as soup will start thickening. Then it is ready.
Cut the curd cheese into cubes. Put for a moment in the microwave or electric grill in order to make it warm and 'crunching in teeth'.
Put little portions of the curd cheese in soup plates. Fill with the Old Polish beer soup and serve to the table.


*For the Rye Croutons
Marbled Rye Bread
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 tbs Butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced
Herbs (optional, your choice, to taste)
Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the bread, olive oil, butter, garlic, herbs and salt. stir around the make 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.