Shortly after my husband and I planted roots in Missouri, I started a Christmas dinner tradition of serving champagne camembert bisque as the first course. The silky richness of the cream and melted camembert cheese has such an incredible lusciousness; it takes a concerted effort not to have a second bowl and forget about the rest of the meal.

While taking the picture for this post, I realized it’s extremely challenging to get a good picture of a cream based soup.  It could have also been the two glasses of champagne I sipped while making the bisque. (wink) So for this recipe, taste wins out over the visual, but I guarantee you’ll love it. Pair the bisque with some fresh baked bread, and you have the beginnings of a delicious holiday meal.

Ingredients:

1 large round of Camembert cheese, rind removed
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup champagne
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Directions:

1) Melt the butter in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat, and whisk in the flour.

2) Gradually whisk in the stock and cook until the liquid just reaches a low boil.

3) Whisk in the cream and the milk and cook until the liquid returns to a low boil, frequently whisking to prevent the cream from scalding. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the champagne.

4) Cut the Camembert cheese into one-inch chunks and whisk the cheese into the broth until completely melted. Season the soup with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5) Serve the soup in bowls with fresh bread on the side.