Creamy Stilton Soup

Creamy Stilton Soup
Black Horse Inn, Lynn Pirozzoli
A rich and satisfying cheese soup that is fairly easy and fast to make. Stilton cheese is the great English blue-veined cheese that ages to ivory-pale gold perfection.

½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped carrot
1 bay leaf
¼ cup butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1½ cups half-and-half
1½ cups crumbled Stilton cheese (6 ounces)
Snipped parsley

Cook onion, carrot and bay leaf in butter in 3-quart saucepan until onion and carrot are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and while pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and half-and-half. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese; heat over low heat, stirring constantly, just until cheese is melted. Remove bay leaf; sprinkle soup with parsley. Makes 6 servings.