Apple Cheese Soup

On the Thanksgiving weekend my family went to the Hotel Kenny in Jones Falls for our dinner.  We have made this trip since my dad was a boy.  The Hotel Kenny is located on the Rideau canal, which is a canal that runs from Ottawa to Kingston.  The locks and canal have been kept in their original 1832 status.  All doors and pumps to lower and raise the water level in the locks are manual.  It is quite the beautiful site. 

The Hotel has recently changed hands, but is still being run as a family establishment, so the dinner this year was a little different than usual.  Our starters were a delicious fruit and nut salad and an apple cheddar cheese soup.  The was soup was the best part of the meal! I know apples and cheese have historically gone well together, but I would never have thought to put them in a soup together.  I asked the waitress if I would be able to have a copy of the recipe (only after hearing another guest ask hahaha).  
This past week I was able to make this soup. The recipe if from a book called The Chez Piggy Cookbook. by Rose Richardson

Ingredients are:
8 cups chicken stock
3 cups apple juice
4 garlic cloves - chopped
2 carrots - peeled and cut into chunks
1 celery stalk - cut into chunks
1 medium onion - cut into chunks
3 tart apples - unpeeled cut into chunks
1/2 red bell pepper - cut into chunks
1 tsp ground cardamom (i used half tsp cinnamon and a half tsp nutmeg as we could not find cardamom)
Coarse slat and ground pepper
3 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
5 cups 35% cream
5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup brandy (I did not use this)


Directions:


Place stock and apple juice in pot and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and add garlic carrots, celery, onion, apples and red pepper.  Simmer until vegetables are soft, then add cardamom. Season with slat and pepper.

Blend into a puree and set aside.
In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes, stir in cream and whisk until mixture thickens.(cream will foam up so use a large pot) Add in cheese, stirring until melted. Flame brandy in a ladle and pour into cheese sauce.  Mix thoroughly.

Bring pureed soup base to a boil, stir in cheese sauce.  Immediately remove from heat. Garnish with parsley or croutons.

And you have it! A delicious soup that is thick enough to fill any stomach.  My boyfriend, Colin, loves this soup and he does not like vegetables of any kind, so I think this soup will win over even the pickiest of eaters.