I took my second cuppa out to this little corner of my back yard this morning, recipe folder in hand trying to think of something for dinner. This recipe for “BEER CHEESE SOUP—COBURG INN” fell out, making me wonder where I had originally found it at least 45 years ago. I made it often in the cold, rainy days in Seattle, Washington, along with good solid rustic bread and a crisp green salad, but it has remained hidden in the mess of clippings and scribbled notes till it hit the ground today.
Coming in to my computer, I Googled “Coburg Inn, and found that the recipe came from the Coburg Inn in Coburg, Oregon near Eugene, in 1877. But the really exciting thing for me is that a good friend of ours is from Coburg, Germany. I don’t think he knows about beer Cheese Soup, but I will make it for him. He is more of a sausage and kraut man, but I think he will like this one. It’s rather touching to see place names given to remind people of former homes. Of course we see that all over the States since everyone has come from somewhere else.
Coburg, Germany has an impressive history as the birthplace of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who married Queen Victoria of England. (It is not known if they ever ate Beer Cheese soup.)
Ehrenburg palace, Coburg
Our friend Bill and his twin brother were twelve years old when the war ended, and the Americans marched through town. They were enthralled with the chocolate bars and conviviality of the American soldiers, and at the age of twenty they sailed for the “New World” with twenty hard earned dollars between them. For many years they made an annual migration back to Germany for the Octoberfest celebration in Munich, and of course, a trip down memory lane to Coburg.
Schloss rosenau, 1900 Coburg
BEER CHEESE SOUP, COBURG INN
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup 1/8″ diced celery
1/2 cup 1/8″ ” onion (Trader Joe’s has cartons of Mirepois, which saves the chopping)
1/2 cup 1/8″ ” carrot
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 pints chicken stock (5 cups)
2 Tbs. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
6 oz. grated cheddar cheese
12 oz bottle beer
salt and pepper to taste
Saute vegetables until done, but not browned. Blend in flour, dry mustard and chicken stock; cook 5 min. Blend in cheddar cheese and beer. Let simmer 10 mins. Season and serve.
This recipe for JALAPENO CORN BREAD fell would go well with the soup.
JALAPENO CORN BREAD
2 cups yellow corn meal
2 cups cream-style corn
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cubes melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1/4-1/2 cup drained, canned green chilies
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp baking soda
Mix it all together
Melt 1 Tbs butter in each of 2 cast-iron or some other heavy baking pans. Divide the batter between. Bake for about 45 min Serves 10
Pachofa-Unfinished 
I notice your cornbread recipe calls for buttermilk, and I heartily approve. The soup looks good, too.
In our rambles around Germany we never got to Coburg. I looked it up on a map and also came across this quote:
After her marriage, Queen Victoria said of Coburg:
If I were not who I am, this would have been my real home, but I shall always consider it my second one.
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What a lovely remark. Our friend shared the video which someone made at the end of the War when the American troops were marching through. There was a lot of damage, though not as much as you would have thought. He and his family lived just down the hill from the palace, which was visible from their home. One of their ancestors made the “Silbermann organ, which was damaged in the bombing. Years later, he and his twin brother gave money to restore it. It must have been a thrill for them to visit cand hear it played again.
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I share your enthusiasm for all things Japanese particularly the gardens. There is a man here in Richmond, now probably pushing 90, who served in the military in Japan. He came home to reconstruct the most stunning Japanese garden I’ve ever seen. I’ll be seeing some for myself soon. We are going to visit Japan in June. I can hardly stand the anticipation!
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You will be late for the cherry blossoms, but those beautiful gardens don’t need the punch of color to be breathtaking. I love the serenity of a Japanese garden. It almost invites quiet contemplation. My gardens today in this house are not Japanese. More Spanish probably. And now the prospect of taking some lawns out and replacing with drought resistant plants with which I am not familiar! I’m of the opinion that simply letting it all just die would be preferable.
Have a wonderful trip.
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That soup sounds interesting. We have a suburb of Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) called Coburg. I had no idea about the connection of the original Coburg to Queen Victoria. Thanks Kayti.
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That wasn’t the only connection England had to Germany. Remember the Hanovers?
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