French Cream of Chestnut Soup (Velouté de Châtaignes)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A classic, comforting and elegant French soup.
Author:
Recipe type: SOUP
Cuisine: FRENCH
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 TBSP. salted butter
  • 1 red or sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 14 oz. whole, cooked chestnuts, chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 whole cardamom pods
  • 1½ tsp. sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Optional Toppings:
  • 4 slices of cooked smoked bacon, crumbled
  • --- fresh chives, minced
  • 3 whole chestnuts, chopped
  • --- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for a few minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Add the garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes more.
  2. Reserve 3 chestnuts and stir the rest into the pot. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the aromatics, the stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat. When the soup cools slightly, discard the skin of the cardamom pods, the bay leaf, and the stems of the thyme.
  4. Pour the soup into a blender and purée until smooth (depending on the capacity of your blender, you may have to purée the soup in stages, or, half at a time). Gently reheat the soup over low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
  5. When the soup is ready, stir in the cream.
  6. Ladle the soup into four warmed bowls. Top each one with some crumbled bacon, chopped chestnuts, fresh chives and serve.
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/french-cream-of-chestnut-soup/