Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

This was really good, pretty basic but yummy. I splurged and served it in sour dough bread bowls and it was delish, despite the fact that the chill that was in our air has left us and we had warm soup on a warm day...oh well. Mr. I don't like broccoli or cheese or soup or anything creamy went back for seconds so that should tell you something. In case you couldn't tell, I copied the recipe and inserted my notes in this lovely shade of red.
Serves/Makes: 4 Difficulty Level: 3 (whatever, it's easy!) Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned *
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

learn to julienne here --> http://www.ehow.com/how_13876_julienne-vegetables.html


Directions:Saute onion in butter. Set aside. (Yeah, I didn't set aside the onion, I just started it in the 3 TB butter and sauteed for a couple minutes then made my roux from there, no need to dirty anything else) Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux...DUH!). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree.(Yeah, unfortunately, my blender exploded a lovely basil cream on me the other day and had to be retired. Laugh it up. Anyway, the point is that I didn't puree my soup and it turned out great. I did, however, chop my veggies small to begin with though) Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Contributed by Julie Edwards