Vermont Hard Apple Cider and Cheddar Soup with Parsley Mini-Popovers

By á-25087

Adapted recipe by womenio

Ingredients

• Parsley Mini-Popovers:
• 1 cup of diced carrots
• 1 cup of diced celery
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
• A heaping 1/4 cup of flour, plus 1 tablespoon
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of hard cider (I used Woodchuck Amber)
• 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp)
• parsley (as a garnish)
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Black pepper
• 2 eggs

Preparation

Step 1

In a large soup pan, melt the butter, then add the vegetables and apples. Cook over medium low heat stirring occasionally until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the ¼ cup of flour and stir well for 1 minute. Add the broth and cider and bring to a simmer. (The soup should be fairly thick, which helps the cheese melt.)

Turn the heat off and pour the soup into a blender or food processor, and cover the top with a clean dish towel. Be careful, it’s hot! Blend the soup, pour back into the pan and turn the heat back on low.

Mix the shredded cheddar with the tablespoon of flour. Then add this by the handful to the soup, stirring well. When the cheese has melted, add another handful until you’ve incorporated it all. Garnish with parsley.

Parsley Mini-Popovers:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the milk in a large microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 1 minute.

Melt the butter in the microwave for 20 seconds and brush on the inside of 2 mini muffin pans or 1 mini muffin pan and 3 regular sized muffin tins. Place muffin tins in the oven while you mix the batter. (If the butter browns in the oven it doesn’t hurt it, in fact it makes the kitchen smell amazing. But, to err on the side of caution, work quickly.)

Mix together the flour, any remaining butter, the parsley, salt, pepper and eggs together. Remove the pans from the oven and fill each cup ½ way to ¾ full. (Don’t worry if you spill a little, the important thing is to get the batter in the cups quickly while they’re still piping hot.)

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Don’t peek until the end though, because that will cause them to deflate. But, at the 30 minute mark you can check to see if they’re done without any problem – as long as you don’t slam the oven door.

Serve with the soup.