No wait! This richly flavoured cornerstone of the US midwest is a treat on a cold day – here’s how to perfect it
B
eer and cheese, two ingredients that don’t immediately scream soup to much of the world, are the cornerstones of one such midwestern speciality, particularly beloved in Wisconsin, with its prominent dairy and brewing industries. Beer soups are also found from Alsace to Russia (and, indeed, Wisconsin has a significant northern European heritage population). The cheese, however, appears to be an inspired American addition (though, seeing as Germany boasts both beer and cheese soups, I’m prepared to stand corrected), playing off the bittersweetness of the beer to produce a richly flavoured dish that’s perfectly suited to harsh midwestern winters. That said, it’s a treat on a cold day wherever you are.
(Note: this is not to be confused with German obatzda, while a thicker version is a popular hot dip in Kentucky, in particular.)
Many recipes start with a classic sweated onion base, with Saveur magazine also adding shallot, while Wisconsin-native “photographer, author, stylist and farmer” (as she’s described in the Blasta Soup book) Imen McDonnell adds leek to the mix. Both of these contribute a pleasant sweetness that works well with the beer, but shallot always feels to me as if it has more of an affinity with wine-based dishes, while leek is a time-honoured pairing with cheese. Double down on that sweetness with the carrots used by Minnesota’s Amy Thielen and America’s Test Kitchen, which my testers and I prefer to the former’s red pepper (“Nice, but gives it more of a Tex-Mex vibe” – never mind that Thielen’s recipe comes from Minneapolis chef Steven Brown).
