White Garlic Tourin, A Classic French Soup
This Aromatic French Garlic Soup Recipe is a Gallic Winter Warmer!
Nov 28, 2008
This traditional Tourin recipe comes from the Lomagne region of South West France, where they take garlic very seriously. In this small rural corner of Gascony they produce more than 40,000 tons of white garlic every year and at harvest time - usually in late July and August - most of the towns and villages hold their own Tourin tasting day, with meals and competetions.
The Tourin is an ancient dish which has altered little over the years. Traditionally made with onions or garlic it is a simple soup which is delightfully fragrant and rich.
Will You Take a Clove of Two?
Garlic has long been acknowledged as having serious medicinal properties; it’s antiseptic value is well known and it’s ability to stave off colds and reduce fevers tried and tested. But recently it has also been proven to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. It can be taken in capsule or elixir form but far more deliciously satisfying is to consume it within this traditional Gascon dish. As a winter pick me up it can’t be beaten.
Recipe : Le Tourin a l’Ail (French Garlic Soup)
Serves 4
Prep and Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1tbsp duck fat
- 1 onion
- 1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
- thyme
- salt, pepper
- 2 eggs separated
- 1tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 4 slices of baguette or crusty white bread
Method:
- Melt the duck fat in a deep saucepan and fry the finely chopped onion.
- Add the peeled, roughly chopped, garlic cloves and fry lightly being careful not to let them brown.
- Add 31/2 pts (2litres) of boiling water, thyme and seasoning and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Separate the eggs and beat the whites lightly before adding them to the soup, whisking constantly to ensure no lumps of egg white form in the soup itself and the whole is amalgamated. Cover and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile beat the egg yolks with the vinegar. Just before serving remove the soup from the heat and add the egg yolks again whisking firmly. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes by which time the egg will have cooked through.
To Serve:
Arrange a few slices of bread in the base of a soup tureen and pour the Tourin over them.
Additional Alternatives:
- In place of the bread add a handful of vermicelli pasta just before serving. Leave the hot soup to stand for a couple of minutes and the pasta will have cooked through.
- To serve: Scatter the soup with cheesy croutons and a handful of parsley.
- If the soup is to thin for you liking add a tablespoon of plain flour before the boiling water and then stir the water in slowly to thicken up
- If you would like to try the onion version of this soup simply fry four instead of one onion and omit the garlic. Otherwise follow the recipe exactly.
- If the 'eggy' side of things is off-putting there is a modern variation using crème fraiche instead. But be warned it makes the soup less dense, less rich and perhaps a little less delicious!
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