Imprisioned Garlic Soup

Directions

1. 1
   Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and allow it to turn golden.
2. 2
   Saut the garlic.
3. 3
   Add the slices of bread to allow them to colour a little.
4. 4
   Add the paprika, and immediately afterwards the vegetable stock, so that the paprika does not become bitter.
5. 5
   Allow the soup to simmer over a gentle heat for half-an-hour.
6. 6
   Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6
7. 7
   Check for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
8. 8
   Take some heat-resistant earthenware soup bowls and pour the soup into them.
9. 9
   Break an egg into each bowl.
10. 10
    Brush the rims and the outside tops of the bowls with a little beaten egg.
11. 11
    Cut circles of puff pastry, about a centimetre or so larger than the top of the bowls, seal around the rim and brush with beaten egg.
12. 12
    You can decorate the pastry if you wish.
13. 13
    Put the bowls into the oven for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is golden and has formed a dome over the soup.
14. 14
    By this time, the eggs should be firm, but with a runny yolk.
15. 15
    The most delicious way to eat this is to break the pastry into the soup or cut small pieces away as you eat the soup. If you do not like pastry, just cut the whole thing off, but you will lose the best of the dish.
16. 16
    And enjoy it ... who said that a garlic soup dish cannot be a luxury?