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September 1, 2017Soup With Lots Of A Peel
Apple Soup With Blue Cheese
Soup & Salad
We love apples, but when I first told Tom I had a recipe for Apple Soup, he was a tad skeptical. However, once he took the first spoonful, he was hooked. It’s a perfect dinner for a chilly night. Heck, it’s a perfect dinner any night.
The recipe is from Betty Rosbottom, my favorite soup creator. I have made many of the soups from her Sunday Soup and Soup Nights cookbooks and they are all winners!
This recipe uses a combination of tart Granny Smith apples and crunchy, sweet red SugarBee apples for a creamy, savory soup. SugarBee is a hybrid of the HoneyCrisp apple and it is one of the best-tasting apples around, crisp and sweet with notes of caramel and honey. If your store doesn’t carry them, an Envy or HoneyCrisp works too.
It doesn’t take long to pull this soup together but it really needs a day for the flavors to blend and pop the apple flavor.
Use your favorite blue cheese for this recipe (and if you don’t like blue cheese then skip it!). The original recipe recommended Roquefort, Stilton or Bleu d’Auvergne. Our current favorite is LiteHouse Center Cut Blue Cheese (center cut, not the crumbles) which I am using today but we also love Maytag Blue Cheese when I can find it.
For Christmas this year, we are serving this soup as an amuse-bouche in tiny Mason jars sprinkled with blue cheese, chives and pomegranate seeds for an additional pop of color.
Apples and blue cheese, a classic winning combination!
Ingredients:
3 large SugarBee apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup apple brandy (Calvados or applejack)
Kosher salt
White pepper
Garnish:
3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (see note above)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
4 ounces pancetta or thick cut bacon, cooked until crisp and then crumbled
Sprinkle of pomegranate seeds or diced apples for a pop of color and crunch
Directions:
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Heat 4 Tablespoons butter in large, heavy pot set over medium heat. When hot, add the apple slices, onion, and garlic and sauté, stirring for 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook at a simmer, uncovered, until apples and onions are tender, for 20-25 minutes.
Purée the soup in batches and return soup to the pot (or use an immersion blender). Whisk in the cream and apple brandy. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and white pepper as needed. 
Do not let the soup come to a boil. Soup can be made one day ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.
To Serve: Ladle soup into 6 bowls and garnish with any combination of blue cheese, pancetta, chives, and pomegranate seeds, although I would not skip the blue cheese as it really complements the soup.
Delicious and even better the next day!
Adapted from a recipe in Sunday Soup by Betty Rosbottom (she loves this cookbook!).
Based on 17 Review(s)
