Recipe - Onion Soup With Beer And Cheddar

4 tablespoon Unsalted butter
4 md Onions; peeled and cut or sliced up
4 cup Veal stock
=OR= Lowsodium beef broth
1/8 teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
12 ounce Dark beer
One half pound Sharp Cheddar cheese
shredded
One half teaspoon Salt
Freshly ground pepper
to taste

IN A 3QUART HEAVY POT, preferably cast iron or copper, melt the butter
over low heat, add the onions and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover
and continue to cook until the onions turn a deep golden color, about 30 to
40 minutes, depending on your pot. Stir frequently. Add the broth and the
nutmeg, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the beer to a boil over medium heat and
boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from the heat and add the
Cheddar cheese, stirring until melted. Transfer this mixture to a blender.
Add 1 cup of the onion soup and blend until smooth. Reserve. Remove the
onion mixture from the heat and strain. Reserve the liquid. Transfer the
onions to a blender or food processor and puree until very smooth. Return
the puree to the pot, add the reserved liquid and the Cheddar cheese
mixture. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve piping hot in a tureen.

MICHAEL ROBERTS PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini