Bacon Cheddar Beer Soup in Bread Bowls

Ingredients:

Today we're making bacon cheddar cheese beer soup in bread bowls! Also, I'm only making a half batch today since we're on diets, and this isn't very diet friendly. The ingredients below are for a full batch, however, with six servings.

Bacon Cheddar Beer Soup in Bread Bowls

1/4 lb. smoked bacon finely chopped
1 medium red onion cut into 1/4 in. pieces
1/2 cup finely sliced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
3 TB all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken stock
12 oz. grated white cheddar or sharp cheddar
3 dashes Tabasco
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beer, room temperature
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB thinly sliced chives

Step 1:

My original idea was to make a bacon bread bowl for bacon cheese soup, but I wanted to concentrate on the soup, so I went with the lovely multigrain bread dough they sell at Publix.

Either make your favorite bread dough or purchase some, and divide a 1lb loaf worth into two halves. I always let my Publix dough rise and warm up a bit before doing anything with it.

Step 2:

Cut up the onions, celery, carrots and bacon.

Step 3:

I'm going to make the bread bowls ahead of time, so I can concentrate on the soup. I sometimes have issues with cheese soups, so I have to be careful. Once the bread bowls are done, cook the bacon in a medium to large soup pot, with a little oil to get things going.

Once the bacon has cooked down a bit but not browned, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until the onion is translucent and bacon is brown and crispy.

Add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the floury taste is gone. (I like Wondra for things like this, since I rarely bake and I don't get lumps) Slowly add in the milk and stock, whisking well to make sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Here's the fun part: remove from heat, and stir in the cheese, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and beer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4:

Cut holes in the bread bowls.

Step 5:

Ladle in the bacon cheddar beer soup. I like to let mine sit for a bit to soak up the soup. Sprinkle with chives or green onions. I only have green onions today, so that's what we're going with.