Cheddar Ale Soup

Sometimes you just want a very special soup. Something unusual, light but still creamy, an introduction to the symphony about to be played. Four of us travelled to Iona and decided to have a reunion, to look at our pictures and to talk about our impressions. After we had reviewed our experiences of going on the pilgrimage, attending the church services, some of us freezing in our sea facing dorm rooms and commenting on the story of our fellow guests, we decided that the week had been worth while and in fact we were impressed with how much we did.

I started the meal with this soup but did not serve the guests because in my pretasting I found the soup to be sharp, bitter, and bold. It starts softly on your palette and then bang, it hits you. The next day my son and daughter-in-law came over to try the left over soup. They loved it and asked when it would be posted on the blog. It is definitely a repeat. When I asked them to describe the flavour, it was a challenge. It is like a a gentle ripple and then there is a huge rogue wave.

I will try making the soup again but will try a different ale to see what the effect will be. If the soup is too thin, just simmer longer or decrease the liquids.

Recipe

1 tbsp butter
1 large white onion chopped finely
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup 10 per cent cream
1 1/2 cups very good quality chicken broth
1 bottle of Kilkenny Irish cream ale (440 mls)
8 oz of three year old Balderson white cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

decorate with cilantro but beware, the cilantro does change the flavour

Melt butter and saute onions till almost transparent. Add minced garlic and saute lightly. Add the rest of the ingredient. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Blend.