Recipe - Apple-Cheese Soup

*bouquet garni:
1 tablespoon White peppercorns
3 Sprigs fresh thyme
2 Bay leaves
(above all tied together in
cheesecloth)
One fourth cup Peanut oil
3 ounce Ham scraps; and/or 1 ham
bone
1 Stalk celery; minced
2 Cloves garlic; minced
2 Onions; minced
8 Tart apples, peel, core and
quarter (Granny Smith)
1 cup White port
6 cup Chicken broth
4 sl Bacon, for garnish (apple
or hickorysmoked)
1 small Red apple, for garnish (such
Red Delicious)
1 small Tart green apple, for
garnish (as Granny Smith)
1 Lemon; juiced
4 tablespoon Unsalted butter; softened
One fourth cup Allpurpose flour
1 One half pound Sharp Cheddar cheese; grated
Salt; to taste
Tabasco; to taste

Cold weather soup, minced 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 mediumsized saucepan heat the oil over mediumhigh
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 minutes more. 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 1/8inch dice to use
for garnish. You will need about 2 tablespoons of each color. Put the minced
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 minced
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.

AppleCheese Soup: Lunch or a light dinner. Or serve as appetizer followed
by a Warm Lobster Taco with Yellow Tomato Salsa and Jicama Salad

Source: 1987 (c) The Mansion on Turtle Creek Cookbook by Dean Fearing.
Adapted and Reprinted by 1995 (c) Arlene FeltmanSailhac, De Gustibus
Presents the Great Cooks' Cookbooks, Southwest Cooking. Selections based on
demonstrations given at Macy's. McRecipe (1996) Oc PATh.
Recipe By : Dean Fearing, Chef at Turtle Creek (1989)

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #244

Date: Mon, 14 Oct 1996 20:57:42 0700 (PDT)

From: patH phannema@wizard.ucr.edu