Recipe: Shiner Bock and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Jalapeños and Garlic Croutons

Shiner Bock and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Jalapeños and Garlic Croutons

Recipes from "Texas on the Table"

Makes 12 servings

Soup

¼ cup canola oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 baking potatoes, about 2½ pounds total, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

4 jalapeños, seeds and veins removed, minced

¹⁄3 cup whole-grain mustard

1 longneck bottle (12 ounces) Shiner Bock beer

2½ quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade

3½ cups (14 ounces) shredded Texas cheddar cheese

Kosher salt

1 cup whipping cream

Garlic Croutons

4 cups French bread, diced into ½-inch cubes

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons finely minced garlic

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For soup: Heat the canola oil in a heavy-bottomed 6-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions, carrots, celery and diced potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are wilted and transparent, about 8 minutes.

Add the jalapeños, mustard, beer and chicken stock. Stir to blend well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft and have started to break apart. Purée the soup in batches in a high-speed blender until completely smooth. Return soup to a clean pot and stir in the cheese. Cook, stirring, just until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt. Do not allow the soup to boil once the cheese has been added. Stir in the whipping cream and cook just to heat the cream through. Set aside and keep warm while making the croutons.

For croutons: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil; set aside. Place the French bread cubes in a medium-sized bowl.

In a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan, combine the butter, garlic and salt over medium heat.

Cook to melt the butter and lightly brown the garlic, but take care not to burn it. You should just begin to get a nice garlic aroma from the pan.

Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.

Strain the butter through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down on the garlic to extract every drop of juice.

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, then toss rapidly to coat all bread cubes. Turn the buttered cubes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the bread cubes are lightly brown and very crisp, about 15 minutes.

Scatter the croutons on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and cool completely before using.

To store the croutons for later use, place them, totally cooled, in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 2 days.

Serve the soup hot, topped with a good scattering of the croutons.

Per serving: 430 calories, 26 g fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 630 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 9 g sugars, 16 g protein.