Julia Child's Garlic Soup

I had never heard of Julia Childs until a couple years ago, let alone knew who she was. (I know. Sad.) But Lately I have been swept up into the Julie/Julia craze. It's all about good food and love and people; all my favorite things! So while I will not be deboning a duck any time soon (I stay away from things that have bones) I will be offering a few recipes from her amazing book Mastering the Art of French Cooking that do work with my cooking preferences. For more info feel free to check out wiskblog.com. There working right now to catalog all of Julia's recipes on the web!

Garlic Soup With Poached Eggs
Makes 6 servings

1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 parsley sprigs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 eggs, as needed per person
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Crusty bread, optional.

1. In a large saucepan, combine the garlic, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, bay leaf, parsley sprigs and olive oil. Add 2 quarts of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil; then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Pour through a fine-meshed strainer into a heatproof bowl, pressing on the garlic to squeeze out as much flavor into the broth as possible. Let cool and then transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
3. To prepare a serving for one, ladle about 1 1/3 cups of broth into a small saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Carefully break an egg into the broth (do not break the yolk) and poach until the white is just set, about 1 ½ minutes. (It will continue to cook off the heat....not gonna lie, I cook mine longer. Not a runny egg person.) Transfer the egg to a soup bowl and pour the broth gently over it. Garnish with parsley and cheese. If desired, serve with crusty bread.