“M. F. K. Fisher once wrote that she could live on soup alone. For those of us who could almost live on beer alone, what could be better than combining the two? Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette of Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery in upstate New York kindly shared this recipe. It is adapted from his book Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.” – Madeline Scher, A Taste of Heaven (2009)

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 (750-ml) bottle Achel Extra (about 3 1/2 cups) or your favorite Achel or Rochefort beer
2 tablespoons sugar
4 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Pour the beer, 2 cups water, and the sugar into a large soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

Beat the yolks, crème fraîche, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot beer mixture to the egg mixture, whisking until well combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the pot of beer, stirring constantly, and cook for a couple more minutes over low heat without bringing to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.