Good afternoon, dear reader. I have decided to add another kind of entry to this unfolding drama. Since I am working to reintroduce real foods into my diet, I would like to share my experiments with you. So here is the first entry of The Paduan Gourmet. It is my own variation on beer cheese soup and is specifically designed to provide me with an obnoxious number of calories as I continue to regain some weight.
If you experiment with it, please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Seafood Beer Cheese Bisque

A smooth, creamy soup

Ingredients

  1. 32 oz Velveeta
  2. 8 oz Sharp Cheddar cheese
  3. 8 oz Pepper Jack cheese
  4. 16 oz heavy whipping cream
  5. 12 oz beer
  6. 1 can chicken stock
  7. 1 can carrots
  8. 1 can mushrooms
  9. 1 package (8 oz) imitation crabmeat
  10. 2 Tblsp butter or margerine
  11. 4 Tblsp Dijon mustard
  12. 2 Tblsp olive oil
  13. cayenne pepper
  14. black pepper
  15. white pepper
  16. sea salt
  17. oregano
  18. rosemary
  19. parsley
  20. cilantro

Directions

  1. Finely chop carrots, mushrooms, and crabmeat.
  2. Into large saucepan, add olive oil, carrots, mushrooms, and crabmeat. Heat to medium-high; saute for two to three minutes.
  3. Add beer, chicken stock, Dijon mustard. Bring to low boil, then reduce heat to medium for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Cut Velveeta, Cheddar, Pepper Jack into small pieces.
  5. Into soup pot, add heavy whipping cream, cheese pieces. Heat to medium to medium-high, stirring often to prevent burning.
  6. To saucepan, add spices and herbs to taste. Keep at boil for five more minutes.
  7. When contents of soup pot are fully melted, add in contents of saucepan. Stir well to mix. Bring heat to medium-high, stirring constantly. When soup reaches low boil, reduce heat to low and serve.

Notes:
• There are several ways to personalize this recipe. Most obviously is the selection of cheeses. I have experimented with several different combinations. I have found that almost any combination will work as long as there is at least some Velveeta present in the mix. The high fat content of the Velveeta helps insure that the resulting blend is creamy and consistent rather than oily.
• Another measure of personalization comes from the beer. In the summer months, I recommend a lager or ale; personally, I like one with a lot of hopps, too. For winter months, I recommend a stout (especially Guinness).
• The third personalization is the selection of spices and herbs. This recipe does not call for garlic or onions; this is because Adrianne is allergic to garlic and onions. Otherwise, I would use both. You can either add garlic and onions to step 1, or add garlic powder and onion powder to step 6. Also, the kinds and amounts of pepper that you use can greatly affect the overall power of the soup.
• There are additional ingredients that may be added for the sake of experimentation. This include, but are not limited to, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garam masala, cardemom (just a pinch, really), dill (especially good if you’re using an Havarti cheese), and cumin.