Gouda and Ale Soup

At the Brewer's Plate on March 14th, we premiered a terrific new soup made with Beemster Gouda and Wild Devil Ale from Victory Brewing Company. Cheesy as it was, we paired it with a Philadelphia Soft Pretzel, making it the both the best cheese soup and pretzel sauce in history. After much pleading, I was able to convince Chef Joe Muldoon to release his recipe to the public. And here it is:

For half a gallon, or approximately 8 servings, you will need:

1/2lb unsalted butter
1 Spanish Onion diced
1 Red Bell Pepper diced
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
2 Cloves of Garlic diced
1 Celery Rib diced
1 750ml bottle of Wild Devil Ale
4/5 cup of Flour
2 Qts Chicken Stock
1 Pt Heavy Cream
1/2lb NY Cheddar shredded
1/2lb Beemster Classic Gouda or 3-Year Gouda shredded

Step 1: Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat and sautee the vegetables until slightly brown, ~8 minutes.

Step 2: Deglaze with 1/4 bottle of beer and immediately begin scraping the fond on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Step 3: Add the flour and cook until fully incorporated.

Step 4: Add chicken (or vegetable stock) and bring to a boil. It should have the appearance of heavy cream after a few minutes from its post boiling state.

Step 5: Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Begin to whisk and slowly incorporate N.Y. Aged cheddar and Beemster Gouda - or enough of the equal portions of both cheeses to thicken the soup to a fondue state.

Step 6: Slowly add the remaining beer to reverse the thickening process. We suggest ~ half the bottle, but add as much as you like to achieve the desired thickness.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think!