Sunday, Food Day

I woke up early again, but managed to fall asleep and slept until 5:30 a.m. I finished the Saturday post and then turned on the news at 6:00 a.m.

It was cold again (38 degrees), so I got a cup of coffee and waited in bed for the furnace to catch up.

When it got to 72 degrees F., I got out of bed. I farted around doing the usual Sunday morning chores. Then I finally shaved, showered and got dressed. Since I missed it yesterday, I figured the first order of business was to make my Irish beer and cheese soup.

So, I turned off the TV and turned the radio onto Acoustic Café on WDET.

Then I started prepping. I chopped a large onion and minced two cloves of garlic. Next I got out the food processor and installed the grating plate for the cheese.

Sidebar: I had a lot of difficulty securing the exact ingredients. The recipe called for two bottles of Harp Irish Style Lager. I couldn’t find that at either Kroger or Westborn, so I settled for Guinness Blonde. And, as far the cheese went, I didn’t even bother with Kroger. I showed my list of possible cheeses to their cheese guru (Dubliner, Irish cheddar or Skellig) at Westborn. 

He said the only one they had was the Dubliner. But, he said, they had an excellent Wisconsin white cheddar that was cheaper and I should try it (he always wants me to taste-test the cheese). So, I did and he was right! It was the best damn white cheddar cheese I think I ever tasted!!!

But, as I told him, this was for Irish beer cheese soup and I would need to get a pound of the Dubliner…

Anyway, I cut up the Dubliner cheese into manageable pieces and grated them with the food processor. I used the kitchen scale to measure out the 14 ounces I needed. The rest went into a baggie (or my mouth, LOL).

Note: This is not cheddar cheese. It is a really interesting cheese, though.

Then I put my biggest sauce pot on medium heat. I added a tablespoon of butter, the onions, and garlic, and sautéed for 3-5 minutes.  I scooped the softened onions into the food processor and added one cup of chicken stock. I pulsed the onions and stock until they were completely smooth.

I poured the onion mixture back into the sauce pot, and added the rest of the 32 ounces of stock and both bottles of beer. I brought that to a boil.

NOTE: The beer broth will foam up quite a bit when boiling. Make sure to use a large pot, so it doesn't boil over.

I tossed the shredded Irish cheese with two tablespoons of corn starch. Then I added the shredded cheese, 14 ounces of cream cheese (cut into cubes), and 1 ½ tablespoons of Dijon mustard to the broth. I whisked it to melt the cheese and break up the cream cheese cubes until the soup was completely smooth and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

I tasted it and decided to forego adding salt. Then I ate a bowl of it for brunch. It was delicious!

Oh, I forgot to tell you, the garnish is crumbled bacon and snipped chives.

I cleaned up the considerable mess and then went outside to move more sand.

I was back inside and ready for a nap by 2:00 p.m.

When I woke up, I went outside and lighted the charcoal starter. While that burned, I went inside and wrapped five small ears of Florida sweet corn in aluminum foil (they don’t have any ears in their husks yet). I seasoned my bone-in rib eye steak with salt and pepper and “baked” four big russet potatoes in the microwave.

When the charcoal was ready, I spread it out and oiled the grate. I grilled the sweet corn first and then the steak. I took everything inside and let it rest.

I oiled the potatoes and then crusted them with Kosher salt. I took them outside and put them directly on top of the coals. I kept turning them until the skin stared to blacken. Then I took them inside as well.

I ate some of the steak and an ear of corn for dinner. Both were excellent.

My daughter Melissa called and we talked for a long time.

I watched a movie, but fell asleep before it was over. When I woke up for a bathroom break, I turned everything off and went to bed for real.