Visiting Canada is one of our favorites in the World Showcase at EPCOT, mainly due to our love of Le Cellier. The smell of maple popcorn and friendly faces are fantastic, but nothing compares to the food, especially around EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival.
The Canadian Bacon Cheddar Soup is a guest favorite, on the menu regularly at Le Cellier, and now being served year round at the Refreshment Port just beside the Canada Pavilion. Now with the Food and Wine Festival Menus being announced, the soup has made it back into the booth this year, but you can make it right at home for that nostalgic Walt Disney World feeling, wherever you are.
Here is the recipe;
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Pound of Bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 Medium Red Onion, shredded
4 Tablespoons of Butter or Margarine
1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
3 Cups of Chicken Stock
4 Cups of Milk
1 Pound of Old White Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup of Sharp Asiago Cheese
4 Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
4 Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Coarse Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
3/4 Cup of Pale Ale, room temperature
PREPARATION:
- Cook the bacon in a 16-20 cup pot or saucepan over medium high heat, stirring frequently until lightly browned. Do not drain.
- Add the onion and butter to the cooked bacon; sautéing about 5 minutes. Be careful not to leave it too long or it may burn.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and stir constantly until the flour is incorporated into the existing ingredients.
- Return the pan to the heat, whisking in the chicken stock, and bringing just to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and summer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the milk and continue to simmer on medium-low for another 15 minutes. Do not let it boil after adding the milk.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, tabasco, worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste, until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Stir in the ale. If you find the soup too thick, thin by adding in more warm milk.
- Serve hot, garnish with any scallions or chives, or top with crumbled bacon.
We hope you enjoy making this delicious soup at home, and adding your own flair to it the next time you prepare it. We recommend serving it with a filet mignon, roasted potatoes, and roasted red peppers.
