Creamy Chestnut and Bacon Soup
Chestnuts are synonymous with Christmas, whether roasted or stuffed into a holiday bird. This soup is creamy, rich and a tiny bit sweet; it can be made a day ahead and gently reheated.
Your guests will get a real treat having this soup!
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- ¼ cup finely chopped bacon
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped, about 1 to ½ cups
- ½ cup peeled and finely chopped celeriac (celery root)
- 2 ½ cups finely chopped mixed mushrooms; any combination of shiitake, cremini, oyster, button – any touch stems removed
- 2 to 2 ½ cups shelled roasted chestnuts, coarsely chopped
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided
- ¼ cup Cognac or Brandy
- 1 bay leaf, fresh if you can find it
- 1 sprig fresh sage or ¼ tsp dried
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ tsp dried
- 1 cup 10% cream (half and half)
- ¼ tsp white pepper, or more or less to taste
Directions:
- In a large, heavy bottom soup pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp of the butter; add the bacon and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes
- Add the shallots, carrot and celeriac; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables and bacon to a bowl, leaving the tasty fat and butter in the pot.
- Add the rest of the butter, mushrooms and chestnuts to the pot. Continue to cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have softened somewhat, about 5 minutes.
- Add about ¼ cup of the chicken stock, and put the vegetables and bacon back into the pot; stir to blend.
- Add the Cognac and cook until the alcohol has burned off, a couple of minutes.
- Add the herbs and the rest of the chicken stock; and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often.
- After 30 minutes, remove herbs; discard. The thyme leaves will have come off the stems; that’s good. Remove the woody stems.
- With an immersion blender (wand) or in a blender (in a few batches), puree soup until smooth; return to pot, stir in the cream, and add the pepper. Put on the lid to keep warm on the lowest possible setting or in a warm oven.
- Serve, and enjoy!
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