German Cheese And Beer Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 ounces black forest ham, diced
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup lager beer (most traditional beers in America are close to lager style)
7 cups chicken stock
1 pinch cumin seed
2 cups shredded swiss cheese or 2 cups emmenthaler cheese
2 cups shredded gouda cheese (original recipe calls for Tilsiter)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper, to taste
4 slices whole grain german bread, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preparation

In a stockpot, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the Black Forest ham, and saute until golden brown. Add the onion, shallots, garlic, and chili powder. Saute until glossy, about 2 minutes.
Add the flour to create a roux. Whisk in the beer and stock.
Add the cumin seed, lower the heat to medium. Cook until the liquid is reduced by one-half, about 35 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To make the croutons, melt the remaining butter in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add the cubed bread, and pan-toast until crispy.
Pour into serving bowls and top with the croutons and the cilantro. Serve immediately.