Stilton and Apple Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Back in the day, my dear friend Lil warred against no longer pristine snows and the bitter cold of late Chicago winters, with reveries that took her from her beloved moors and headlands to a college in London where tutors tried to tame and teach a wilding from the Hebrides. For the record, I can tell you that they educated, but never tamed her. When arctic blasts tore down the midway, she'd double wrap her long school scarf and, once home, fashion, from a childhood memory, the strangest rarebit I'd ever seen. She'd pull near frozen cider from the porch and spoon it with great deliberation into a wedge of blue-streaked Stilton cheese until the crumbly blue achieved a texture not unlike that of a softened, whipped cream cheese. Still not done, she'd core an apple and then peel it in a single corkscrew strip before cutting it into a uniform dice that was then folded into the cheese. The mixture was thickly spread on slices of really good bread and then set under the broiler to toast before serving. It was not, is not and never will be a favorite of mine. The "blues", on their own, are all too strong for my palate, but using the same ingredients she was able to make a soup that I quite enjoy. Recipes for Stilton and Apple Soup abound, but Lil's recipe is unique in its simplicity and the apples do tame the cheese. Any good blue cheese can be used to prepare the soup. I make this every now and then and I thought some of you might, for curiosity's sake, like to give it a try. Here's the recipe we use.

Stilton and Apple Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredient:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
4 large red delicious apples' peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces Stilton cheese + cheese for garnish
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Optional garnish: chopped chives

Directions:
1) Melt butter over medium heat in a 4 to 5 quart pot. Sprinkle with flour and stir over low heat until light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until smooth. Add apples and cook, covered, over medium heat until apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Cool, then puree in small batches, until soup base is smooth.
2) Return mixture to pot. Add milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add Stilton cheese and cider vinegar. Stir until cheese melts and soup is smooth. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with a bit of crumbled cheese and chopped chives if using. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

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