Warm up on a chilly winter night or impress your family and friends over the holidays with this homemade Idiazabal Cheese Soup recipe courtesy of Chef Chris Hastings, owner of Ovenbird and Hot & Hot Fish Club (opening soon in Pepper Place)! This delicious recipe is sure to be a crowd favorite and is also super easy to make.
If you end up making this recipe, be sure to share a photo on social media and tag both @pepperplacebham and @ovenbirdbham – We would love to see!
Homemade Idiazabal Cheese Soup
Prep time: Approximately 1 hour
Serving Size: Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- 200g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.4kg onion, diced
- 150g garlic, sliced
- 600g mushroom scrap
- 1 sprig thyme
- 3.5kg water (if raw milk is available, sub)
- 3.4kg heavy cream (if raw milk is available, sub)
- 260g white wine
- 1.7kg Idiazabal Cheese
- 75 muscadine grapes
- White Balsamic Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Sweat the onion and garlic in the extra virgin olive oil until tender.
- Add the mushrooms and a sprig of thyme and continue cooking.
- Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half.
- Add the water and cream and then the cheese. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then let steep for 15 minutes.
- Remove the thyme and puree in a Vitamix on high.
- Pass through a chinois (or strainer) and season with salt and pepper. Pass again and hold for service.
- Then, heat a large cast iron skillet until very hot. Meanwhile, halve the grapes and remove all the seeds.
- Add a very thin film of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the pan and then the grapes. Sear for 30 seconds and add a little white balsamic to the pan.
- Once reduced, remove to a sheet tray and cool. Hold at room temperature for service.
Top with toasted pecans and additional Idiazabal Cheese before serving. Enjoy!
