German-Swiss Party Soup

The first course for the dinner party was this cheesy soup. I told you yesterday that this party was all about cheese and I wasn’t kidding!

Then there was the beer. Since I was serving 20 people, I tripled the recipe. And since I’d bought a nice variety of German beer for the party, I used a variety for the soup too. Honestly, any beer will do. No need to go out and buy anything special, whatever you have on hand, German or not, will work perfectly.

A few photos of my sweet guests!

Apple-Cheese Beer Soup   

4 strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 bottle German beer
1 ½ cups milk
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces smoked Gouda, grated

In a large pot over medium heat cook the bacon. Cook until the bacon is very crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot reserving the drippings.

Add the butter to the pot with the drippings, once the butter melts, add the onion, apple, carrot and celery. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the apples and vegetables are very tender.

Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw taste of the flour.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly whisk in the chicken broth, stirring to smooth out and prevent lumps.

Slowly add the beer and then the milk. Once combined increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the soup comes to a boil and thickens about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until very smooth. Transfer back to the pot and add the cheese, stir to blend until the cheese is melted.

Heat the soup over low heat to re-warm. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.

Serve the soup with the chopped bacon as garnish.

Serves 8