It took my mother years to convince Chef Heinz at the Beaumont Country Club to share his recipe for brandied Cheddar cheese soup. Once she got the recipe, it became one of her favorite party soups. I’ve tweaked it a little, substituting beer for brandy and omitting the Cheese Whiz (it was the 1960s, after all). Serve it in little bowls, shot glasses, or espresso cups, so friends can pick it up and enjoy this rich, tummy-warming combination in a few sips, without a spoon.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

　　1 cup finely diced celery (about 3 large stalks)

　　1 cup finely diced carrots (about 2 medium)

　　1 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1 medium)

　　1 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　3 cups chicken stock

　　3 cups whole milk

　　6 ounces Shiner Bock beer (or any dark beer)

　　1 tablespoon dry mustard

　　1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

　　2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

　　

Step 1

In a large stockpot set over medium heat, melt the butter and add the celery, carrots, and the yellow and green onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the chicken stock and milk and simmer until the soup has thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk in the beer, mustard, Tabasco, and salt. Stir in the shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.

　　

Step 2

Serve warm in small sipping cups or glasses.

　　

variation

Step 3

For an extra-rich and creamy soup, substitute 1/2 pound of ripe, rind-free Brie for the Cheddar.

　　

do it early

Step 4

The soup can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. For serving, be sure to warm it gradually over low heat or the soup will scorch. If it’s too thick after reheating, thin with milk or stock.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.