Beatrice Richard’s Famous Cheeseburger Soup
Of the hundreds of recipes we’ve run in Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine over the years, this humble soup gets more reader requests than any other. Here is Beatrice Richard’s cheeseburger soup, in all its potato-and-yellow-cheese glory. First featured in the Traverse feature “Oh, Potato!” in October 1999.
For more soup inspiration, check out these recipes, too!
Ingredients
• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed of outer leaves and halved
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 shallots, peeled, halved, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cup whole milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• 6 ounces Leelanau Cheese raclette, grated, divided (or enough to yield 2 cups)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a large ovenproof gratin dish. Prepare an ice water bath.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add salt. Blanch Brussels sprouts 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, shock briefly in ice water bath to stop cooking, drain again, and set aside.
Melt butter over medium heat in medium saucepan and add shallots. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour to butter-shallot mixture and stir with a wooden spoon about 1 minute to make a roux. Add milk and stir until roux is incorporated into milk. Cook over medium-low heat for several minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in half the cheese and stir to incorporate into sauce.
Spoon Brussels sprouts into prepared gratin dish, cover with cheese sauce, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 25–30 minutes until top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.
