Apple Cheese Soup

Whip-up this warm cheesy soup to warm the bellies in your household.

Ingredients:
2 strips bacon, chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup Oktoberfest style beer
2 cups whole milk
5 oz sharp cheddar cheese
5 oz smoked Gouda
Hot sauce, to taste

In a medium pot over medium heat add the chopped bacon. Cook until the bacon is very crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot reserving the fat.

Add the butter to the pot and once it foams add the onion, apple, carrot, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mixture is starting to become tender, about 5 minutes, then add the dry mustard, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Add in the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add in the flour and cool for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw taste of the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly add in the chicken stock, beer, and milk, stirring constantly to remove any lumps of flour. You may need to whisk it during this process. Once combined increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the soup comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 3 minutes.

Working in batches, blend the soup in a blender until very smooth, about 3 minutes on the highest speed. Add the cheese, in batches, to the soup and blend until the cheese is melted. Once all the soup is blended return it to the pot.

Heat the soup over medium heat to re-warm. Season with hot sauce, and additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve the soup with the chopped bacon as garnish.

*shared from evilshenanigans