Apple-Cheese Soup
Ingredients
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Preparation
: *bouquet garni:
1 TB white peppercorns
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
: (tied together in
: cheesecloth)
1/4 c peanut oil
3 oz ham scraps -- and/or 1 ham
: bone
1 stalk celery -- diced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
2 onions -- diced
8 tart apples -- peel, core
: and
: quarter
: (Granny Smith)
1 c white port
6 c chicken broth
4 sl bacon -- for garnish
: (apple- or hickory-smoked)
1 sm red apple -- for garnish
: (such Red Delicious)
1 sm tart green apple -- for
: garnish
: (as Granny Smith)
1 lemon -- juiced
4 TB unsalted butter -- softened
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 lb sharp Cheddar cheese --
: grated
: Salt -- to taste
: Tabasco -- to taste
Cold weather soup, diced apples and cheese make it colorful. Easily
made without the ham or bacon. Use vegetable broth instead of the
chicken stock.
To make the soup, in a medium-sized saucepan heat the oil over
medium-high heat. Add the ham scraps, if using, the celery, garlic,
and onions and saute for about 4 minutes, or until the onions are
translucent but not brown.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the quartered apples. Cover and
cook, stirring frequently, for abour 10 minutes or until the apples
soften. Add the port and simmer for 5 minutesmore. Add the chicken
stock, bouquet garni, and ham bone, if using. Reduce the heat to low
and simmer, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the
flavors are well blended. Remove the bouquet garni.
(The soup may be made a day or two in advance, up to this point. Cool
and refrigerate. See detail 'A'.)
Meanwhile in a small skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat for
about 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Cut into l inch dice and set aside.
Leaving the skin on, cut the green and red apples into 1/8-inch dice
to use for garnish. You will need about 2 tablespoons of each color.
Put the diced apples in a small glass or ceramic bowl and sprinkle
with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Set aside.
In a small bowl, knead the softened butter and flour together until
smooth to make a beurre manie'. Whisk the mixture into the soup to
thicken it. Cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
Add the grated cheese to the soup, stirring constantly, until it is
melted.
Strain the soup through a fine sieve into the top of double boiler
set over gently boiling water to keep the soup hot. (Do not press too
hard on the solids.) season with the remaining lemon juice and salt
and Tabasco to taste. Ladle the soup into warm serving bowls and
garnish with the diced apples and chopped bacon. Serve hot.
Detail 'A' continued: Add the Beurre manie and then the cheese and
seasonings, when you reheat the soup for serving. Do not prepare the
apple and bacon garnish until a few hours before serving. This soup
can be completed up to 2 hours before serving, but keep it warm in
the top half of a double boiler set over hot water. Do not simmer
over direct heat after the cheese has been added or the soup will
separate. Recipe By : Dean Fearing, Chef at Turtle Creek (1989)
From: "L. Erickson"
~0600
Servings: 6
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