WHOktoberfest!

We celebrated Oktoberfest as well as Doctor Who Night this past Sunday. We decided to call it WHOtoberfest. Our host took care of the Brats and Sausages, another friend did soft pretzels, my walking buddy brought an apricot torte, and Husband and I brought Beer Cheese Soup and the family recipe for Sauerkraut.  

Crockpot Beer Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

32 oz chicken broth ( or veggie broth to make vegetarian friendly) 

12 oz beer 

1 cup of carrots, finely diced or shredded

1/2 cup celery, finely diced 

1 cup onion finely diced

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, diced <Added by me>

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

Dash nutmeg

Dash of Paprika

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

Place all chicken broth, beer, carrots, celery, onions, apple, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, paprika, dry mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper into your crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. 

Once time is up, remove lid and stir in shredded cheese, and heavy cream. Stir until cheese is melted. Next whisk in cornstarch. Recover and cook for 10-15 minutes longer. 

For a smooth soup (which we prefer for this soup), use an blend soup in batches, or use an immersion blender before serving.  

Garnish with bacon if you have it on hand.

Bock Recipe: Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 pound sliced apple-wood smoked bacon

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and grated

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups unfiltered apple juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2  secret ingredients
2 pounds of refrigerated (in a jar, not can), prepared sauerkraut, drained (about 1 24-fluid-ounce jar, drained)

Method

Lay the slices of bacon down at the bottom of a large, thick-bottomed pot and heat on medium heat. Cook until the bacon has browned and most of the bacon fat has been rendered, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and set on paper towels to drain. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of the fat in the pot. (Do not pour down the sink, bacon fat will clog your drain!) Chop the bacon and set aside.

Add the chopped onions and apples to the pot and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

Add the apple juice and the white vinegar to the pot. Increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously until the liquid is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes.

Add the sauerkraut and bacon to the pot and stir to coat with the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauerkraut has been heated through and is tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Here they are in their glory...

The soup was started in the Crockpot, but then was transferred to the the party location so it moved into a regular pot.

The flavor on both items turned out very nicely. I was unhappy on the smoothness of the soup, but I think I can fix that by simply taking the extra time and effort to use the Blender and not just the immersion blender. Most people at the party claimed that they didn't like Sauerkraut, but most of them ate some! I must be doing something right.

Until the next Doctor Who night (and who the Heck is Missy?!)....