Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup Recipe

This is one of my favorite soup recipes. You can find many variations on the theme, this one is based on a recipe I learned from a friend some years back.

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

2 cups diced Canadian bacon (ham may be substituted)

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup flour

2 cups peeled & diced potatoes

1 pound shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bottle dark beer

1 cup chicken broth

2 quarts milk

1/2-to-whole pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp dry mustard

pinch of Cayenne pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in stockpot, add Canadian bacon or ham, saute for 5-10 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Add onions, celery, salt, and pepper, saute until onions are transparent. Add flour and stir until everything is coated. Add chicken broth and beer, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Mixture should become slightly thicker. Add milk, mustard, Cayenne pepper, and potatoes, and bring up heat. Stir continuously until just before milk comes to a boil. Add cheese a little at a time while stirring, allowing it to melt fully before adding more. When all cheese has been added, reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until completely smooth. Add heavy whipping cream, stir in.

This recipe is also great without the bacon or ham, you could even remove the chicken broth & add more salt for a "true vegetarian" version.