Beer cheese soup with roasted cauliflower and crispy bacon

It was a cold January day....it was my sister Dru’s 62nd birthday to be precise. She was in Florida and I was in Indiana. She was warm, I was cold and in need of a warm bowl of soup to go with the homemade pretzels I just baked. My son, Joshua, wanted beer cheese dip for the pretzels, but I wanted to make dinner. So, I set out to make beer cheese soup. But I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge just waiting to be used and five strips of thick cut bacon from Trader Joe’s dying to be eaten. So, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little. It doesn’t really matter because in the end, I came up with this concoction and it turned out pretty tasty.

6 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
6 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
12 oz. lager beer (I used Corona), don’t used a light beer
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
20 oz. (4 1/2 cups) shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
5 strips extra thick smoked bacon
1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into small florets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Lay strips of bacon in a single layer and place on top rack of the oven. Bake until bacon is crisp and brown, but not burnt. This can take 15 to 20 minutes. While this is baking, prep your soup ingredients and wash and cut up the cauliflower. When bacon is done, remove from pan and drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a large stockpot, melt butter. Add onion and jalapeño and cook on medium heat until onion and pepper are very soft and slightly brown. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds so as not to burn. Add flour to make a thick paste, stirring constantly so as not to burn. Add the cayenne and black peppers.

Slowly pour in the beer, it will foam, but stir in the flour mixture until you have a thick slurry. Add the milk, broth, and mustard. Stir well and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring to keep it from burning. It may be foamy, but it will eventually settle down.

Meanwhile, place cauliflower on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste (we like it with a generous amount of black pepper). Roast in the 400 degree oven, stirring once, for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is brown and tender, but not burnt.

Cut up or crumble bacon and place into a serving dish. Place roasted cauliflower in another serving dish. Remove soup from burner and stir in the shredded cheese until melted and totally incorporated into the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve soup in deep bowls, topping it with a scoop of cauliflower and a spoonful of bacon. You can also sprinkle a little extra cheese on top and optionally add a sprinkle of fresh diced chives if you have them.

Serve with bread or freshly-made pretzels.