Beer Cheese Soup Recipe???

[Ole1855]

I've tried several beer cheese soup recipe's and they're good, but I'm not crazy about them. I'm wondering if anyone out there has a really good recipe that will knock my socks off??? Let me know.

Ole

[SilverLakeBoy]

Ole: here's a good one!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks butter

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup flour

3 cups (or more to taste) chicken broth

1/2 cup beer (or more to taste)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp ground fennel (I used whole)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

5 cups grated cheddar cheese

Paprika (if serving individual bowls)

Instructions:

Heat butter in a heavy five-quart soup pot. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent; add celery and carrots. Cook 2-3 minutes; stir in flour. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Add beer, Worcestershire sauce, milk and cream. Reduce heat to low, simmer 5 minutes. Add sugar, mustard, fennel, and cayenne; cook 1 minute longer. Add cheese, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and soup begins to bubble. If soup is too thick, add additional broth or beer or milk as desired. Remove from heat. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.

*If you want a smoother soup, puree in blender to get rid of tiny bites of carrots and celery.

[Ole1855]

Thanks SilverLakeBoy,

That's a little different than the ones I've tried, I think teh next time I make it I'll give your's a shot.

Thanks

Ole

[beer batter]

Question for those that make beer cheese soup occasionally. I've made it a couple times. One time I grated my own cheese off the big block of cheddar, another time I used the pre-grated stuff in a big bag.

I don't recall which type of cheese it was, but one of them didn't melt within the soup. The whole bottom of the soup pan was a bunch of little, soft pieces of cheese that you'd have to chew through. Didn't thicken up as you'd like it to either.

My gut instinct tells me it's the pre-grated stuff that didn't melt but not 100% sure. Anyone else ever have this problem? It still tasted very good, but I just want to make sure which way to go for the next time I make it.

Any particular cheeses work better than others? Thanks all!

[Ole1855]

Beer Batter,

I have had the same problem with shredded cheddar cheese, I've used american and vellvetta and they seem to work better for a smooth soup.

Ole

[husker4u9899]

Type of cheese isn't in most cases the problem when you end up with lumps or unmelted cheese. The problem is most often caused by having the soup base way to hot when you add your shredded cheese. You want to have the soup base below simmer when you add the cheese and stir with a wisk or what ever you like to stir with until you see that the cheese is melting nicely. Base liquid above a simmer to boiling will turn the cheese to lumps.

[Ole1855]

Thanks Husker, good tip!!!

Ole

[beer batter]

Seriously? Cheese won't melt when it's too hot? How is that possible? I put a mountain of cheese on a pizza and it melts right down in the oven at 500 degrees, but a hot liquid has some sort of different effect on it? If this is true, then that's definitely the problem I run into. I add the cheese into a hot, boiling pot of broth.

I'll buy it, but can somebody shed some light on why this is the case?

[husker4u9899]

beer batter..You raise a good question. First I have just known that cheese melted better at low temperature when being used in soup. Maybe I learned that from my Mother 60 years plus ago. However, hopefully not getting in over my head on this subject I called Iowa State University Home Economics Dept and asked the question. The answer is this. Block cheese like chedder for example has a higher protein count than the processed cheeses like Velveta. The high heat causes the protein to curdle or lump up where the processed cheese has a higher water content and is not as affected by high heat and melts rather well in a liquid base. I don't happen to like to use Velveta or the processed cheeses, don't seem to have the really good taste I like. Also checked after you posted the question on a few web sites and they seem to all say melt in soups at the lower temps. Like I said hope I'm not in over my head here and if I'am please correct me on why low v high works.