Cheddar Cheese Soup

Being a huge Soup fan, the first whisp of Autumn that 2020 brought our way I went digging for a new soup recipe that was sure to become a regular fall favorite; Cheddar Cheese Soup. While the recipe calls for ¾ cup of lager I figured I would bump up the flavour profile with some local Ale from High Park Brewery. Across the Pond has just the right amount of traditional English malty, spicy citrus attributes to bring this soup to the next level.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, diced

½ teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped

½ teaspoon fresh marjoram finely chopped

¼ All purpose flour

¾ cup of High Park Across the Pond Ale

4 cups vegetable stock ( heated to medium in small sauce pan)

250g Cows Two Year Old Cheddar, grated

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard (Joe Beef)

Pinch of fine sea salt & fresh ground pepper

1. Put the butter into a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat and heat until warm. Add onions, thyme and marjoram and cook for 5 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent, but not brown. Slowly and flour and stir constantly until a golden brown roux begins to form, about 5 minutes further. Add salt and pepper.
2. Add the beer slowly, incorporating small amounts at a time while stirring constantly. Gradually begin to incorporate the warm vegetable stock while stirring further. Once all stock is added cook for a further 2 minutes on medium heat.
3. Add grated cheese, Worcestershire and Dijon mustard and stir to incorporate.
4. Serve with some grated cheese sprinkled on top.