By: Chef Laura Bonicelli
My Cheddar Soup uses beer and wine to create a rich background flavor for the Cheddar cheese. Buy your ingredients at your favorite Farmers Market!
About Cheddar Soup
There are many versions of cheese soups out there. Some recipes have a mix of cheeses; some use cheese product, some have beer, some don’t. Traditional German Beer Cheese Soup even uses eggs. For the alcohol, I decided on a combination of beer and wine. I chose not to call it beer cheese soup because my approach to the recipe is not traditional, and the soup is more about the cheese. The alcohol adds a depth of flavor, and you can taste the beer. Bear in mind that all of the alcohol does not cook-off. Therefore, the type of beer you use will have an impact. I like a pale ale a lot. It’s not too pronounced, but flavorful.
I start the soup with an onion, garlic, and carrot base that I sauté in butter. Then I add in the white wine and cook that off thoroughly. Add the potato flour; you can use all-purpose flour if you like, to make a roux. Cook the roux until it starts to brown. The roux will thicken the soup. From there, you add in the stock, beer, milk, and simmer. Finally, you add in the cheeses. Now, the American cheese is a “cheese product,” meaning made without milk. Ordinarily, cheese products don’t make my shopping list, but in this case, it rounds out the cheddar cheese and helps with the creamy texture. So, it’s on the list for now!
Of course, this is not a lite dish. Crusty bread on the side is perfect. Consider my Roasted Vegetable Sandwich or my Roasted Beet and Orange Salad for other options
I hope you love this recipe!
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Need some more side dishes? Try these:
Green Beans with Dried Cranberries and Hazelnuts
Warm Cauliflower Mint Salad with Cranberries and Feta
Step by Step Instructions
Cheddar Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion -- medium dice
- 1 cup carrot -- medium dice
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- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic -- minced
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup potato flour
- 2 cups home-made chicken stock
- 1 bottle 12 Oz. beer -- (I prefer Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
- 2 cups whole milk
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- 3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar -- I prefer the Tillamook brand
- 1 cup shredded or chopped American cheese -- (Velveeta is an alternative) 4 oz.
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
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- popcorn or finishing olive oil
Instructions
- Process the onion and the carrot in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until finely chopped.
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the onion and carrot; sauté until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the white wine and cook off thoroughly.
- Lower the heat back to medium and stir in the potato flour; cook for 1 minute until beginning to brown. Slowly whisk in the stock, beer, and milk. Bring to a slow simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 - 25 minutes, until the carrot is tender.
- Toss the shredded cheeses with the cornstarch, combining well. Purée the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. Whisk the cheese mixture, a handful at a time, into the pot. Taste the soup before adding salt as cheese saltiness varies.
- Serve with popcorn on top or a drizzle of your favorite finishing oil.
Nutrition
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