Beer Cheese Soup

Last night, Kelly and I made Beer Cheese Soup for dinner with some pork steaks he threw on the grill. That man can run a mean grill. Anyway, the soup was delicious and super simple. Here's how we did it...

It is best to have everything prepared before you begin. Cook over medium high
heat - stirring constantly. Don't rush it! This recipe has been scaled to make six servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced celery
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced carrots
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced onion
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
3/4 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

That's the list of ingredients on the recipe, but we altered it a little. We didn't use carrots or onions, but instead used mushrooms. I don't think we'll do that in the future, just because we didn't really taste them. We also didn't use parmesan at all. The cheeses we used were extra sharp cheddar, colby jack and swiss, all about 1/4 cup. We also used an entire bottle of beer. And the key ingredient is horseradish. I don't know how much...about a half teaspoon, maybe. I just put in a little, stirred, tasted, and put in a little more. Emphasis: little. That stuff can be potent. We used a pale ale for the beer because that's what the guy at the restaurant in McCall where we initially had this said that they use.

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, melt butter. Cook celery, carrots and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Stir in flour and mustard to coat vegetables. Pour in chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender. Return to pot.
2. When pureed mixture is hot, begin to stir in cheddar, monterey jack and parmesan, a little at a time, alternately with the beer, until all is fully incorporated and melted. Add horseradish a little at a time to taste. Serve at once.