Royal Soup

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Anna Welander for this one:

The playwright Charles MacArthur had been brought to Hollywood
to do a screenplay, but was finding it difficult to write visual jokes.
"What's the problem?" asked Charlie Chaplin.

"How, for example, could I make a fat lady, walking down Fifth
Avenue, slip on a banana peel and still get a laugh? It's been
done a million times," said MacArthur. "What's the best way to
GET the laugh? Do I show first the banana peel, then the fat lady
approaching, then she slips? Or do I show the fat lady first, then
the banana peel, and THEN she slips?"

"Neither," said Chaplin without a moment's hesitation. "You
show the fat lady approaching; then you show the banana peel;
then you show the fat lady and the banana peel together; then
she steps OVER the banana peel and disappears down a manhole."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Its name translates as Royal Soup, but you could also call it
cream of chicken soup. I chose this recipe for inclusion in this
week's menu of German favorites not only because it is delicious,
but because it's quick and easy too.

Royal Soup (Koniginsuppe)

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
6 Tbs (90 ml) all-purpose flour
8 cups (2 L) hot chicken stock
a grating of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine

Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over moderate heat and stir
in the flour. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about
5 minutes. Add the stock, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, stirring to
dissolve the flour mixture, and bring to a boil. Beat the egg yolks
into the cream and add a little of the hot soup to the mixture.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir the egg mixture into the
soup - do not allow the soup to boil after this point because the
egg yolks will curdle. Stir the wine into the soup and serve
immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Tue Nov 14 08:08:09 2006