I love soup pretty much year-round but never more so than during the months of January and February. The recipes below are three of the most outstanding soups you’ll ever eat. They each star wonderful Wisconsin Cheese which, without a doubt, makes homemade soups heartier and homier. Wisconsin Cheese is also fantastic shredded over canned soups such as Bean & Bacon, Tomato, Potato, and Mushroom.
The following recipes, courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, incorporate savory Aged Cheddar, Asiago and Gruyère cheeses beautifully. Try each one, you’ll soon have 3 favorite new soups.
- Cauliflower and Wisconsin Aged Cheddar Soup — features a creamy Aged Cheddar base with tender cauliflower florets.
- Onion Soup with Two Wisconsin Cheeses — this twist on a classic combines the mellow flavors of Asiago and Mozzarella Cheeses with satisfying onion-beef broth.
- Wisconsin Gruyère Cheese and Sweet Potato Soup — combines the full-bodied flavor of Gruyère Cheese and sweet potatoes with a creamy chicken stock. Serve with Maple Brioche Croutons.
Cauliflower and Wisconsin Aged Cheddar Soup Recipe
Makes 8 servings
For the Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, medium dice
1 bay leaf, halved
2 heads cauliflower, broken into florets
1 cup Chardonnay wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) Wisconsin Aged Cheddar, shredded
For the Garnish:
Olive oil for sautéing
4 slices firm bread of your choice, crusts removed and cubed for croutons
Soup:
Heat olive oil in heavy stockpot and add the diced leek. Sauté until translucent and flexible and the leek releases its sugars. Add bay leaf halves and the cauliflower florets. Stir until cauliflower releases juices. Add the wine and reduce liquid by half or three-fourths. Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Continue to boil until cauliflower is tender. Add heavy cream and bring back to boil. Remove from heat. Remove and discard bay leaf halves. Blend soup to a fine texture.
Return to stove over low heat. Gradually add shredded Cheddar, whisking until fully incorporated.
Garnish:
Heat small amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the bread cubes and sauté until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls and divide croutons evenly to garnish.
Onion Soup With Two Wisconsin Cheeses Recipe
Makes 4 servings
2 tablespoons butter
5 cups onions, sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cans (14 ounces each) beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 slices 3/4-inch French bread, toasted
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Wisconsin Asiago cheese, finely shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) Wisconsin part-skim Mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Cooking Directions:
Heat butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir to coat with butter. Cook over medium-low heat about 35 minutes until onions are golden brown, stirring often.
Add broth, red wine and bay leaf. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Ladle equally into four 1 1/2-cup ovenproof bowls. Add a slice of toast to each; push down to saturate with broth.
Mix cheeses and thyme. Completely cover bread and soup with cheese mixture, dividing equally. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 425°F about 10 minutes, until cheeses melt and turn lightly brown. Serve immediately.
Wisconsin Gruyère Cheese and Sweet Potato Soup with Maple Brioche Croutons Recipe
Makes 6 to 8 servings
For Croutons:
4 thick slices brioche, cut in 1” cubes
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 pinch cayenne
1 pinch kosher salt
For Soup:
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, large dice
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart heavy cream
1 stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups Wisconsin Gruyère cheese (Roth Käse Surchoix), grated
1 sprig fresh sage, for garnish
Cooking Directions:
Croutons:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl combine brioche cubes with melted butter, syrup, cayenne and salt. Toss brioche cubes generally to cover with the mixture. Place croutons on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove croutons from oven and set aside to prepare soup.
Soup:
Combine sweet potatoes, chicken stock and heavy cream in a large pot; bring to a boil and cook until sweet potatoes are soft. Place sweet potatoes and liquid into a blender and puree until smooth.
Return liquid to a medium size pot and add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; simmer. Using a whisk, slowly stir in the Wisconsin Gruyère cheese. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Final Preparation:
Divide croutons evenly among bowls and place in bottom of bowls. Ladle soup over the top; garnish with fresh sage.
For more recipes featuring Wisconsin Cheese, visit www.EatWisconsinCheese.com.
? After all, we bakers have to stick together!
. I’ve used it, and loved it, quite a few times since December 25. In fact, if it hasn’t totally been used to death by December 25, 2010, it’ll be a miracle. Love it! Before the meal (about 20 minutes before plating begins), I place the fajita iron skillet in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Then, when the meat and/or vegetables go onto the skillet, their moisture cause a heavenly sizzle that I’ve become somewhat infatuated with.
(pictures above). They’re perfect for keeping your tortillas perfectly warm and soft. Before Britt hooked me up with all of these wonderfully perfect accessories, I just assumed soft, warm tortillas were something you could only get in a true, authentic Mexican restaurant. Ha! I can have them anytime I want now in my own kitchen. For some reason… the type of reason only Alton Brown could explain… tortillas keep their personality much more intact with a tortilla warmer than they do with anything else.
