GARLIC SOUP WITH POACHED EGGS

Garlic Soup with Poached Eggs image

Provided by Barbara Kafka

Yield Makes 4 first-course servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

Garlic Broth
4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 1/4-inch- (.5-cm-) thick slices dry French bread
4 eggs
grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Steps:

In a large deep frying pan, combine the garlic broth, salt, and pepper over medium heat. Arrange the bread slices around the edge of the pan, slightly overlapping them and leaving a circle about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter in the center. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat so the liquid is at a lively simmer. Crack the eggs into the pan so they form a ring, without touching, toward the center of the pan. (If preferred, crack the eggs one at a time onto a saucer and slide them into the broth.) Cook just until the whites and the surface of the yolks are set, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon broth over the tops of the yolks if they aren't submerged.
To serve, ladle the broth and bread into large warm soup bowls and top each with an egg. Pass Parmesan at the table.