Extend your holiday season with this delightful Salish favorite at home... Imagine chestnuts roasting on street corners and enticing scents from another era, and prepare to soothe your soul with this delicious winter dish.
candied apples and nutmeg creme
Executive Chef Roy Breiman
Salish Lodge & Spa
For 4-8 people
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ qt. chicken stock, or water for vegetarian
- 16 oz. chestnut puree (gourmet food supply)
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 5 cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- ½ qt. whipping cream, plus ½ cup (for nutmeg crème)
- 2 honey crisp apples, peeled and diced
- 4 T. butter
- 2 T. sugar
- ¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the soup:
Sweat the onion in 2 T. butter and 1 cup of water. Add chicken stock, sachét (cinnamon sticks and cloves wrapped and tied in cheesecloth), bouquet garni (fresh thyme and bay leaves tied together by butcher twine), and scraped vanilla bean to soup pot; bring to a boil. Add chestnut puree, whisking until smooth. Add cream and reduce to soup consistency. Remove bouquet garni and sachét, and liquefy soup in blender until smooth strain through a fine strainer. Check seasoning, and season to taste if needed.
For the apples:
Combine water, sugar and 2 T. of butter in a small pot. Simmer until one quarter of the liquid remains. Add diced apples. Cook until apples are translucent. Season with salt and set aside, keeping warm.
For nutmeg crème:
Whip ½ cup whipping cream to soft-peak stage. Fold in grated nutmeg and set aside for final presentation.
Final presentation:
Place in the center of desired soup bowl a large tablespoon of candied apples. Ladle 6-8 oz. of chestnut soup on top, and finish with a dollop of the soft nutmeg crème. Serve immediately.
|
