Serves 6 to 8
• 3 lbs. onions (8 to 10 medium-sized)
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup butter
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth I or II
• 2½ cups dark beer or stout
• 1¼ cups cream
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. paprika
• dash of Tabasco sauce
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 to 4 tsp. sugar (depending on the bitterness of the beer used)
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar
• 4 egg yolks
• optional garnish
• hot paprika
• toasted croutons and grated Parmesan cheese
1. Peel the onions, halve them crosswise, and slice them. Cook them slowly with the garlic in the butter until all the onions are transparent and soft—about 1 hour. Add the vegetable broth and, in batches of 2 or 3 cups, purée the mixture in a blender or food processor.
2. Pour the purée into a large pot together with the beer and cream. Add the salt, paprika, Tabasco, pepper, sugar, and vinegar, and simmer the mixture, stirring often, for about 20 minutes.
3. Beat the egg yolks with a whisk. Continue to beat them as you add a small amount of the hot soup, then pour the egg yolk mixture into the pot with the rest of the soup and whisk it all together quickly. Cook the soup a few minutes more over very low heat, stirring constantly. It should be slightly thickened.
4. Serve the soup very hot and sprinkle a little hot paprika on top if you like, or garnish it with the croutons and the Parmesan cheese.
