Chestnut Soup with Mushroom Garnish

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

Roasted chestnuts are fabulous. If you have never peeled and eaten a freshly roasted chestnut, or savored the aromas that will fill your home, then make this soup. Although peeling 2 pounds of chestnuts seems tedious, it can be done two weeks in advance of making the soup. The peeled roasted chestnuts can be frozen, then thawed for one hour before using.

Ingredients

Mushroom Garnish

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp paring knife, make a long slash on flat side of each chestnut, cutting through outer shell and inner brown skin. Place chestnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, sprinkle chestnuts with a little water.
2. Place onions and carrots in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss vegetables so they are thoroughly coated. Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool while you peel chestnuts. (For convenience, you can roast chestnuts and vegetables at the same time.)
3. While chestnuts are quite warm, but cool enough to handle, peel them. Remove outer shell as well as inner brown skin. Discard any chestnuts that look rotted. Set aside chestnuts that are hard to peel and rewarm in a 400°F oven. Or place on paper towel and rewarm in a microwave for 45 seconds on high. Repeat if needed.
4. Combine chestnuts and roasted vegetables in a medium mixing bowl. Place one-fourth of chestnuts and vegetables in a blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add 2 cups of stock or broth. Process until purée is uniformly coarse rather than smooth in texture. Pour into a 4-quart saucepan. Repeat with remaining chestnuts, vegetables, and stock. Add salt and a few grinds of pepper. Heat to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Add cream, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding more salt or pepper if desired. Keep soup warm while you make mushroom garnish, or cool and refrigerate, covered, 2 to 3 days prior to serving.
5. To make mushroom garnish, melt butter in a 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, raise heat to high, and sauté, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add thyme and parsley and sauté until liquid in pan evaporates and mushrooms are lightly browned, 2 minutes longer. Set aside until ready to serve. This garnish can be made up to 2 hours prior to serving. Rewarm just before serving.
6. Ladle soup into heated bowls, and mound a spoonful of garnish in center of each bowl.

Notes

• If you prefer not to roast your own chestnuts or if you want to make this Christmas recipe at a different time of year when fresh chestnuts are not available, you can buy peeled chestnuts in cans or bottles, at specialty-food stores. Drain any liquid in which they are packed. You will need 2 to 2 1/2 cups of chestnuts. Prepared chestnuts are boiled rather than roasted, resulting in a bit of flavor loss to this soup.
• If you can’t find shiitake or other interesting mushrooms, use the brown mushrooms called cremini found in most supermarkets. Use white button mushrooms as a last resort!

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.