Cheddar Chowder

Warm Your Belly



According to the Oxford English Dictionary the roots of the word "chowder" come from Brittany where faire la chaudiére meant, "to supply a cauldron in wich is cooked a mess of fish and biscuit with some savory condiments, a hodgepodge contributed by fishermen themselves, each of whom receives his share of the prepared dish." Briton fishermen brought this custom to Newfoundland where it was corrupted to "chowder." John Thorne in Serious Pig notes that "chowder" may have come from Cornwall where jowter once meant an itinerant fish-hawker.

According to this definition any fish-based soup can be called a chowder, but something like corn or potato chowder isn't really chowder. And neither is the Cheddar Chowder I made last night. So call it a cheddar soup, it's still mighty good -- and surprisingly complex.

The extra sharp cheddar layers a distinctive bite over the unctuous richness of milk and cream. Onion sautéed in bacon fat forms a savory understructure highlighted by a garnish of bacon. Oddly, though, what really sets off the soup are the buttery herbed croutons. Somehow their crunch and flavor provide just right contrast to smooth texture and dairy flavor.

Cheddar Chowder*

1 lb extra sharp cheddar -- grated
1 ea Spanish onion -- diced
6 strips thick-cut bacon
1/3 c flour
1 qt milk -- warmed in microwave
2 c half and half -- warmed in microwave
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
croutons (see below)

Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain. Pour off all but 1/3 cup of bacon fat. Sauté onion until translucent, scraping up bacon fond. Add flour, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring, for three minutes. Add milk and half and half and cook, stirring, until thickened. Whisk in mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in cheese, a hand-full at a time, until melted.

Croutons

1/4 c butter -- melted
2 c stale bread -- cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1/4 tsp salt

Toss all ingredients together. Brown in a skillet, tossing occasionally, over medium heat.

*Cheese Cookery -- Doris M. Townsend

Technorati: Food | soups & stews | chowder | cheese