Cheddar Beer Soup
8 slices bacon
1 cup baby carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons flour
12 oz. bottle beer (We used Fat Tire amber ale)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tb. Worcestershire
1 Tb. dijon mustard
12 oz. half and half
12 oz. milk
10 oz. extra sharp cheddar, grated
10 oz. extra sharp white cheddar, grated
salt
pepper
- Cook bacon in large pot. I cooked 4 at a time and cut them in half so they would crisp up. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble once bacon is cool enough to handle. Reserve about half the bacon grease.
- Add the diced vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, garlic) to the bacon drippings. Season with about 1 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 12-15 minutes.
- Add butter and flour. Stir to melt butter and coat vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes, until butter and flour mixture just begin to brown.
- Add beer, stock, mustard powder, dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire, and a pinch of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add milk and half & half. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Add cheeses a handful at a time, stirring to melt evenly.
- Serve with crumbled bacon, a pretzel, and a beer :).
This recipe made 6 servings (for us, you could probably stretch it to 7 or 8). Next time we make this we may add either potatoes or crab meat. I think either would be delicious. Also, the pretzel made the meal, so if you don't want to make pretzels I would suggest a good loaf of crusty bread. This soup is pretty rich, so one bowl makes a filling meal. If you try it let me know how it goes!
