Back to HostaLibrary

Back to Recipe Homepage

Print this Recipe
   This one was Bill's idea, but his attempts to make it were a total failure with a mess of broken cheese blobs of various sizes floating in broth. Making a cheese soup was clearly beyond him. Fortunately Carol came to the rescue and found a recipe that works to make a smooth, creamy cheese base for it. The end result has become a favorite for us here, but it is a little tricky to master because it can break if you look at it funny. Be sure to follow the recipe when it comes to the cheese part.

                   Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus Soup
                             Carol and Bill
1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 potato, 1 stalk of celery
1 and 1/2 bunches asparagus      3/4 cup ham
4 Tbs, butter   1/3 cup flour      1 chicken bouillon cube
32 oz box chicken broth
12oz beer       salt and pepper
2 cups whole milk      2 tsp cornstarch
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded American cheese

Instructions

Cut the vegetables fairly small, except for the asparagus tips. Hold those out. Begin cooking the rest in the butter. When they begin to soften add the flour and cook until it's golden brown. Slowly whisk in the broth and beer. Simmer gently until vegetables are softened.

In a bowl toss the shredded cheeses with the cornstarch. This is important to prevent them clumping in the soup.

Remove 3/4 cup or so of the soup with vegetables and puree in blender then return to pot. Add asparagus tips and ham, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat off and slowly whisk in the milk and cheeses, continuing to whisk until smooth. Heat again if necessary but do not boil after cheese is added or it will break. It can only take so much heat before it does and you'll regret it.

Notes - The American cheese is important because it contains added emulsifiers to make it easy to melt without breaking. For kitchen pros sodium citrate can be used without American cheese to get the same effect. If the American cheese does not grate well put it in the freezer for 1/2 hour. Best with spiral cut ham.