Chestnut Soup 
Posted by: Shaz Wed 11 Jan 2006 10:04 am
Source: "New Cooks Tour of Sonoma"
 

Ingredients
4 ounces unsalted butter
4 cups whole chestnuts -- roasted and peeled
1 carrot -- minced
1 parsnip -- minced
1 cup celery root -- minced

Kosher salt

Pepper

1/2 cup Madeira
8 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs Italian parsley

nutmeg

1/2 cup creme fraiche
2 Tablespoons minced Italian parsley

1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder or ground cayenne pepper
 

Instructions
Melt half the butter in a medium saute pan set over low heat. Add the chestnugs and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until heated through. Set them aside.

In a large soup pot, melt the remaining butter, add the carrot, parsnip, and celery root, and saute until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the Madeira, increase the heat and stir in the stock. When it boils, add the chestnuts, partsley sprigs and several gratings of nutmeg. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the chestnuts are tender. Remove and discard the parsley sprigs and, using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is quite smooth. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm soup plates, top each serving with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of parsley and chipotle powder or cayenne, and serve immediately.