by In my home town there is a little restaurant that serves a great soup that I used to share with my Grandma Donna. She and I both loved it. It was a Dill Havarti Soup. It was light and refreshing even though it was cheese and cream based. The taste of the dill made the soup fresh and it always reminded me of summer. So today I wanted to recreate that beautiful soup.
I haven’t had the soup in a couple of years, but it was a smooth creamy soup. I wanted a little texture in mine so I didn’t blend it. I also added some potato.
Dill Havarti Soup
- 6 slices of bacon
- 1 quart of chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 milk
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 pound of potatoes
- 6 tbs fresh dill
- 8oz havarti cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbs flour
- salt
- pepper
The first step is to preheat a dutch oven on medium/high on your stovetop.
Next slice up the bacon into pieces.
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Place the sliced bacon into the dutch oven and cook till it is browned.
While the bacon is cooking, dice the onions, garlic and potatoes.
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Remove the bacon, making sure to leave the grease. Place the diced onion into the pan.
When the onion starts to turn translucent add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the cup of dry white wine to the pan to deglaze it. Make sure to scrape up the bacon bits on the bottom. Also make sure to use a white wine that you would like to drink. Basically add 1 cup to the pan and pour 1 cup for yourself. Honestly, you deserve it.
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Once the pan is deglazed add the chicken stock. If you have homemade this is best, but I was in a hurry and purchased mine. If you can’t find stock, chicken broth will work just fine.
Now add the sliced potatoes and the dill.
Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook till the potatoes are tender. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
After the 15 minute mark, mix the milk and the flour together. I find that a coffee cup and a fork work best for this. Stir until the flour is fully incorporated into the milk.
When the potatoes are tender add the cream and the flour/milk combination to the pan. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Make sure to stir frequently.
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While the soup thickens cut the havarti cheese into smaller chunks. This will help it melt easier.
When the soup thickens, remove the pan from the heat and add the havarti cheese. Stir until the cheese if fully melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the bacon and some fresh dill.
It is also nice to serve this with a nice chunk of french bread and a glass of white wine.
This soup totally reminds me of the soup that my Grandma and I used to share. It is light, refreshing, and screams summertime.
I hope that you guys get a chance to try this recipe.
Now I have this recipe. When you suggested I make this for SippitySup, I realized I would have no idea where to start. I am glad you posted this, because as long as my jaw is wired shut I need soup recipes. At least 2 more more weeks.
Very impressive! It looks like this soup comes straight out of a restaurant menu.
Thanks for the complements. I have been wanting to recreate this soup for a while.
I have made a similar soup using Harvati cheese that already has dill in it. Mmm…
I was looking for Havarti cheese with dill in it, but all I could find was havarti cheese. Actually, I had to go to three stores just to find one block of cheese.
The restaurant wouldn't happen to be Chef John's in Pentwater Michigan, would it? I loved the soup there and I can't wait to try your recipe!
Oops, I meant Ludington, Michigan.
Yeah, I believe it was that restaurant.
I love Chef John’s and I’ve been looking for this recipe
I have had this soup there it is absolutely amazing that’s the recipe I’m looking for
yum Chef John's…. they don't share their recipe, I asked last week. now I have to figure out the dill havarti soup. this seems like a good start
Just had this soup at Chef John's today for the first time – yummy!
Tried this recipe today. Its not Chef John's but it is very good. I didn't have any white wine so I used a light wheat beer, this added a slight malty flavor that works nice. Pay attention, if it boils over you have a big mess to clean up. Good recipe, well worth a try and pretty easy to do.
This looks really yummy. I cannot wait to give it a whirl. 🙂
I live in Ludington, and when I saw this post, I knew it was Chef John’s! Kudos to John and his staff!
However, I do not remember any bacon flavor in his dill havarti soup?
So, I think I would omit the crumbles on top. Chef John serves the soup with a small Parmesan toast or two on top. So delicious!
Jan,
I am pretty sure that the place that inspired my Dill Havarti soup is called Chef John’s. As for the bacon, I have to add a little into each of my recipes. Haha. I appreciate your comments to remove the bacon, I was not going for an exact recreation. It was more of an inspiration. Thanks for your great comment.
Rex
It is the one in the Ludington , please share if you have a similar recipe
Haha, love how all of us are looking for something similar to Chef John’s, it is THE best! Heading that way this weekend, I called to make sure they’re still open until 4:00. ?
Haha, love how all of us are looking for something similar to Chef John’s, it is THE best! Heading that way this weekend, I called to make sure they’re still open until 4:00. ? Gotta have one more bowl to end the summer…
I love that you all are talking about my hometown and John!!!! This soup is amazing!!!! He would love to know he made it on Pinterest. I worked with him when he was still at PM Steamers. Great guy and soup!!
This is my husband’s favorite soup from Chef John’s, which is why I am searching for such a recipe as this one
I too live in Ludington and my sister Donna comes up and we will enjoy this soup together. It’s actually my whole family’s favorite and I just went yesterday and purchased 4 quarts! I was wondering how to make it and yours is the only one that popped up… and it was inspired by the same inspiration that sent me searching! Thank you for sharing your version!! Kelly A.