Apple-Chestnut Soup with Parsley Croutons
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 1 hr 10 mins
Active: 30 mins
Makes: 8 to 10 servings
By Aida Mollenkamp
There is a sweet, nutty flavor to this puréed soup that makes it a great start to a fall meal. It’s vegetarian, creamless, and quick, to boot, so it’s a sure thing when you have to contend with dietary restrictions.
This was featured as part of our 2007 Neoslacker Interactive Thanksgiving.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups coarsely chopped shallots
- 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
- 4 cups peeled and coarsely chopped Gala apples
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage leaves
- 20 ounces whole peeled chestnuts (about 3 cups)
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- Parsley Croutons, for garnish
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter until foaming. Add olive oil, shallots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add apples and sage, season with additional salt and pepper, and cook until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add chestnuts, broth, water, and apple juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until apples and celery are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Using a blender, purée soup in 4 batches. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve garnished with croutons.
Beverage pairing: Eric Bordelet Sydre Doux, France. This apple cider from Normandy is technically off-dry, but it tastes pretty dry and the level of sweetness will be perfect for the soup. Indeed, the cider has some nuttiness to touch on the chestnuts and enough acid zip to play wonderfully with the croutons. In addition, the carbonation will be a pleasant textural contrast to the creamy soup.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
Not a bad soup. Peeling the chestnuts was a bit more laborious than I may normally agree to, but it was a nice treat for Thanksgiving. Overall I liked the celery pear soup better, but this provided a nice balance to that other recipe and both went over very well with my guests.
I thought it was good, but a little too sweet. I'd use more stock instead of the apple juice if I made it again. The croutons were great, and provided a much needed savory crunch.
I'm going to study this a bit to see if I can work out how to use that can of French chestnut purée we got for Christmas. It was one of those gifts you have to sort of scratch your head about, trying to figure how the heck you'll use it, but a soup of this sort looks like a good possibility. Any comments or advice?
will: i would suggest adding the puree to the soup while you blend it and then returning it to the stove to heat it through.
Will—French canned chestnut puree is usually sweetened and meant to to used in desserts; check the ingredient list before using it in the soup recipe. (Slightly off-topic, but when I lived in France, my French friends would mix chestnut puree with an equal portion of fromage blanc for a very simple—and fattening—homestyle dessert. Yum!)
Will—French canned chestnut puree is usually sweetened and meant to to used in desserts; check the ingredient list before using it in the soup recipe. (Slightly off-topic, but when I lived in France, my French friends would mix chestnut puree with an equal portion of fromage blanc for a very simple—and fattening—homestyle dessert. Yum!)