How to Make Canadian Cheese Soup

This is a wonderful soup to enjoy in the chilly season, warm and comforting, and it becomes a meal in itself with the addition of oven-fresh sourdough or French bread. What really defines this particular recipe is the addition of beer at the end of the cooking process, You can use any light amber, but to be true to the recipe's moniker, it should be a Canadian brew such as Molson’s, Labatt or Moosehead. Serves 6 to 8.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Large stock pot, Dutch oven or electric crock pot
• Sharp French knife
• Cutting board
• Medium whisk
• Wooden spoon
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 8 tbsp. flour
• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. red hot sauce
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ cup celery, diced ¼-inch
• ¼ cup carrots, diced ¼-inch
• ½ cup raw potatoes, peeled, diced ¼-inch
• 7 medium mushrooms, no stems, quartered
• ½ lb. raw bacon slices, diced into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups half and half
• 2 lbs. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 stalks of green onions, both white and green parts, diced ¼-inch
• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 1 12-oz. bottle of amber beer, preferably from a Canadian brewery

1. Put the bacon into the pot over a medium-high heat and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon begins to turn brown. Add the butter to the bacon, then add the diced potatoes. Cook until they begin to soften, about five minutes. Stir regularly.
2. Add all of the other vegetables and garlic, cook for another five minutes, stirring regularly and scraping the bottom to keep the bacon from sticking and burning.
3. Add the flour in the pot and, using the whisk, blend well into the butter and bacon grease to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the roux turns golden in color, about five to 10 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth a little at a time, constantly stirring with the whisk to blend the roux into the broth as it thickens. Increase the heat to a medium and continue to cook and stir until a thick base is formed, which will take about 10 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
5. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer, then add the half and half. Now add the grated cheese, a little at a time while constantly stirring with the whisk. Be sure that the soup is over low heat to keep the cheese from curdling.
6. Once the cheese is completely blended into the soup, open the beer and slowly pour it into the soup while stirring regularly. Add the green onions and remove the soup from the heat. Adjust the seasonings, as needed. Then ladle into large serving bowls and garnish with the chopped parsley on top. Serve immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Serve freshly made garlic croutons on top of the soup for a real treat.
• Turning the heat up too high after the roux has thickened can result in the soup scorching or burning on the bottom.
• Never let the soup get above a simmer when adding the cheese or it will lump and will be ruined.