Chestnut Apple Soup Recipes

CHESTNUT-APPLE SOUP WITH CALVADOS CREAM

Steps:

• Place prunes in a small bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes; drain. Return prunes to bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons Calvados. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve until ready to use.
• In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Stir in sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Add chestnuts and cook, stirring occasionally to coat chestnuts with butter mixture, until chestnuts are golden and caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Calvados and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid is mostly evaporated. Remove chestnuts from heat.
• In a large pot, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the celery, carrots, shallots and leek; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in chestnuts, apples, stock and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tie thyme and parsley together with kitchen twine and add to pot. Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove herbs and discard.
• Purée soup in batches in a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender). Return soup to pot. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Keep soup warm over low heat.
• With an electric mixer, beat remaining 1/2 cup cream with remaining 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg until cream forms soft peaks.
• To serve, place a prune in each bowl. Fill each bowl with a ladleful of soup. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle with Calvados.

CHESTNUT AND APPLE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chestnuts, celery and stock in a large saucepan, bring to the boil then cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan, add the apple and cook, stirring, until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the chestnuts and celery from the pan with a slotted spoon (reserving the cooking liquor) and transfer to a food processor or blender together with the cooked apple. Process until smooth.
• Return the purée to the reserved stock, mix well and heat through.
• To serve - remove the pan from the heat, add the cream, adjust the seasoning and mix well. Serve immediately.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & APPLE SOUP WITH CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• ROASTING CHESTNUTS
• Using a small, sharp knife or a chestnut knife, score, or shallowly cut, an X on one side of each nut. Be careful not to cut through the nutmeat.
• To roast the chestnuts in the oven: Lay the nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet, and roast in a 350°F oven until the nuts are fragrant and the scored portions begin to separate from the shells, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you're going to eat the chestnuts plain, increase the heat to 400°F and bake until the shells give slightly when pressed with oven mitt-protected fingers.)
• To roast the chestnuts in a chestnut pan: Heat the pan over medium-low heat and add the chestnuts. Cook, tossing the chestnuts frequently, until the shells crack and the chestnuts are cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes over a gas flame burner, 35 to 40 minutes over an electric or conduction burner.
• Transfer the nuts to a platter or heatproof surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel to keep them warm.
• 5. Using a kitchen towel or pot holder, pick up each nut and, with your fingers or the knife, peel back the scored X. Peel off the hard outer shell and the thin, beige, soft inner skin. Discard any nuts that, once peeled, look dried out.
• Eat the chestnuts immediately or use as directed in a recipe.
• SOUP.
• In a small stockpot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the butternut squash puree, 2 1/2 cups of the stock, the bay leaf and the 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean stockpot. Stir in the cream and add more stock to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup gently to serving temperature.
• Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with a swirl of whipped cream and sprinkle with chestnuts. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
• Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.