A Decadent Soup

If you don't love blue cheese, you can stop reading right here. Seriously, don't waste your time on this post because yes it is a good recipe but only for those cheese lovers. I suppose you could always substitute a different cheese more to your liking if you so desired. Some people may have noticed that I tag things as vegetarian even when they contain chicken broth. I'm going with the assumption that a vegetarian would just use vegetable broth instead. Though, I could be totally wrong on this line of thought.

Creamy Cheese Soup with Apple Slices
Makes 3-4 servings

I promise it doesn't look greenish in real life. Don't forget that I take my pictures with a cell phone and don't edit them. I realize that most bloggers edit their photos to make them prettier or more appealing. But I kind of think that's cheating. Besides, do people really have that much time on their hands?!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 cup leeks, chopped (only the white and light green parts)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp dried rosemary or 3/4 tsp fresh rosemary
5 oz. blue-veined cheese (Stilton would work)
1/4 cup half-and-half
kosher salt
1 granny smith apple or bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and cut into slices
a pinch of sugar


Steps:

In a large pot, cook 2 1/2 Tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Next, throw in the leeks and celery. Cook until soft about 4 minutes.  Throw in the potatoes with the chicken stock and rosemary.  Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook 25 more minutes (uncovered.)

Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup and then return to the pot. Whisk in the cheese until fully combined. Then whisk in the half and half until smooth. Salt to taste.

For the garnish:
Heat remaining butter over medium heat and add the apple or pear slices. Cook for 3 minutes and sprinkle sugar over the top. Flip the slices and cook another 3-4 minutes and finish off with another small pinch of sugar. Serve over the soup.