French Christmas Soup Made with Chestnuts
François de Mélogue · Provencal Recipes · Soup · TasteThe holidays call for rich dishes full of flavour and lots of love. This quick and easy Christmas soup is packed full of sweet earthy flavours that you can pair with duck confit or shredded pork rillette (or even no meat at all, for the vegetarians!). Chestnuts are highlighted in this delicious soup, a nut introduced by the ancient Romans to France centuries ago. Serve this soup as a side dish, appetizer, or eat it on its own with some buttered crusty bread.
Check out the Pistou and Pastis soup-making video here.
Chestnut Soup for the Holidays
This dish is easy to make chestnut soup perfect for holiday celebrating. Whether you're wanting a toasty lunch in front of the fire or a great accompaniment to a holiday meal, this soup is sure to give you what you need.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 2 cups Cooked Chestnuts reserve 4 for garnish
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35%)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp Cooked Duck Confit or Pork Rillette
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (35%)
- 1-2 tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Add the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the chestnuts, thyme, stock, and duck confit or pork rillette, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In the blender, working in batches, carefully purée the soup until very smooth. As you are blending, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For the maple cream, whip the cream until very firm. Stir in just enough maple syrup to give it a sweet flavour.
- Divide the soup among 4 bowls and garnish each with a tablespoon of duck confit, a spoonful of cream, and parsley.
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More Warm Soup Recipes from Provence:
A selection of soup recipes with Provencal ingredients for a cold day.
White Bean Soup
This soup is ideal for a dinner party as it can be made ahead. Heat it through at the last moment and serve with toasted country bread.
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Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Soup
This mushroom and chestnut soup was inspired by a recipe from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things.
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Velouté Butternut Squash Soup
This soup is easy to make and will warm (and cheer) you up on a cool day.
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Provencal Chickpea Soup (Fourmade)
Easy to master: Provencal chickpea soup is so surprisingly rich and luxurious tasting that even my 9-year-old son is convinced it has cream.
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Marseille Fish Soup - Soupe de Poissons
You will want to make a big batch and freeze what you don’t eat. Making fish soup at home can be a very messy, labor-intensive process. Trust me, you will thank me later for this advice. I usually make a few gallons and then freeze leftovers in quart sized mason jars ready to use at a moments call.
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