Beer soup – another unusual soup from the Alsace region of France. Potage à la bierre is an authentic old recipe that you probably won’t come across that often – it really makes a change from the usual soups of modern days and is well worth a try for something different. The use of nutmeg in food is a trend in food from Alsace probably because they would have been aware of nutmeg’s health benefits in the old days such as digestive functions.
Beer soup – ingredients for four people
1 onion
1 ½ litres chicken stock
33cl light ale
200g breadcrumbs
30g butter
Salt and pepper to season
A little grated nutmeg
Small pot of fresh cream or crème fraiche
Some bread croutons
Method
1. Chop the Onion, add to a pan with butter and lightly fry until just golden.
2. Add the chicken stock and beer and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over and season. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes.
3. Pour the liquid through a sieve into a bowl.
4. Add the cream, a pinch of nutmeg and serve with the croutons.