Beer Cheese Soup

Man, oh man, do you ever want to make this soup!  I'm telling you, it's just amazing.  Jess had a craving for it and I thought, how hard could it be to make?  Answer: not hard, and so very rewarding!  It's savory, flavor-packed, and just a lil bit smoky.  Chances are, you've also got most of the ingredients already right in your fridge...nice!

To start, grab some bacon (which I KNOW you have already, right?)  I mean, c'mon, everyone needs bacon in their fridge at all times, word to the wise.  You'll never lack for a quick meal and you'll have more friends too...it's practically guaranteed.  Just throw a few slabs in a hot pan, crack open a window, and just watch how many folks show up.

So yes, back to the food.  Bacon. 6 slices, cut into small pieces, in your hot pan.  Make sure your pan is a deeper one to hold all our good stuff.  Sauté the bits on moderate heat until nice and crispy (maybe 10 minutes or so.)  Place it on a paper towel in a bowl to drain.  Pour out the excess fat from the pan, but don't wipe it out.  We're gonna use whatever's left to sauté 1 finely chopped celery rib, 1 finely chopped medium Vidalia onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried).  Let that hang out in the pan for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently so nothing burns.  Savory stuff in bacon grease...yea, that's what I said!  YUM.

Add half a beer to the pan (I had some Negro Modelo leftover from Cinco De Mayo.  Use what you love but make sure it's some sort of a lager...nothing fruity or porterish).  Don't drink the rest...we'll need it shortly.  Crack open an additional beer for yourself while we cook.  You're welcome.  Let the beer reduce with the veggie mix for 5 minutes and then add 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth.  Bring it to a simmer.

The beginning of a beautiful soup...

Now, for some technical training, we're going to make a roux.  A roux, Wikipedia tells us, is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat that is used to thicken gravies, soups, and stews.  The fat is heated in a pot or pan, melting it if necessary, and then the flour is added. The mixture is stirred until the flour is incorporated and then cooked until at least the point where a raw flour taste is no longer apparent and the desired color has been reached. The final color can range from nearly white to nearly black, depending on the length of time it is over the heat and its intended use. The end result is a thickening and flavoring agent.  Blah, blah, blah...

For our purposes, we're going to use butter as our fat...4 tbsp. of it, to be exact.  Melt it in a separate small saucepan.  Once melted, add 1/4 cup of flour and whisk rapidly.  We're going to cook it for about 3 minutes...we want it a bit tan, but not brown.  Keep whisking it the entire time to avoid lumps and keep the mixture nice and smooth.  Your hand will hurt, but get over it.  NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

The bacon totally photobombed this roux picture.

As you can see, my scarred up left hand is holding on to the pot while my "when-will-the-pain-stop" right hand is stirring so fast that the whisk is a mere blur.  Be strong, folks.  A good roux is worth the effort!

After the 3 minutes has elapsed, whisk the roux into the soup mixture.  It will start to thicken up pretty quickly, within 7 minutes or so.  While that's simmering, let's grate some cheese!  We'll need 8 oz of sharp cheddar and 4 oz of either smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, or smoked Gruyere.  I had Gruyere, lucky me! 

It ain't easy bein' cheesy

Add the cheese, the other half of the beer, and 1 cup of heavy cream to your soup and stir to incorporate.  Simmer for about 5 minutes to make sure all that cheese is melted and the soup is heated through.  Mix in your bacon bits and season with a bit of freshly ground pepper (and salt, if you'd like).

Beer and cheese and bacon all in one soup?!  Heck yea!!

To soak up some of this yummy goodness, we toasted a few baguette slices and let them float around in the cheese lagoon.  Dolly and Kenny might have called these "Islands in the Cheese."  Optional, but fun! 

This soup was an absolute mindblowing winner.  Will probably make again tomorrow...it was that good!

Try it. You'll like it.

-Sam
 
Beer Cheese Soup
Serves 4

6 slices bacon
1 celery rib
1 Vidalia onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. chopped thyme
1 12 oz bottle beer (lager)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
4 oz smoked cheddar, gouda, or gruyere
pepper

Slice the bacon into small pieces.  Saute in a large saucepan until crisp.  Transfer the bacon to a bowl and drain excess fat.  Finely chop the celery, onion, garlic, and thyme and place into the pan.  Cook for 10 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.  Add half the beer to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until reduced.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour, whisking rapidly, and cook for 3 minutes to make a roux.  Whisk the roux into the soup mixture and cook for about 7 minutes until thickened.  Add the cream, cheeses, and the other half of the beer and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the bacon and season with freshly ground pepper.  Serve as is or with toasted bread/crackers.