It's getting close to Thanksgiving, but it's also been uncharacteristically warm outside. I dread the cold weather every November, so I'm not complaining, but I'm having a hard time looking forward to Christmas music when it's so warm. I love Christmas music. Who doesn't?
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is a holiday tradition I've never partaken in, but that didn't stop me from tackling the creamy chestnut soup with candied walnuts recipe from the December/January issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray.
The recipe called for canned chestnuts and pureed chestnuts, but I had difficulty finding them at the grocery store. I asked two separate store employees and eventually the manager, but they couldn't offer any assistance. I settled for water chestnuts from the Asian/Oriental section and pureed them myself.
The first step was to make the candied walnuts. I baked them at 400 degrees covered in a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar, egg whites and a pinch of salt. They roasted in the oven for 10 minutes. I took them out and set them aside so they could cool before I chopped them to top the soup. The walnuts, by themselves, were amazing. I will definitely be making candied walnuts very soon.
I melted the butter in my cast-iron Dutch oven and added the onions. Next to freshly cut grass, my favorite smell is onions cooking in butter. It's intoxicating and wonderful. I added the chicken stock and port wine and cooked for five minutes before adding the chestnuts.
I added four cans of water chestnuts, drained. Five minutes later I added two more cans. This time, I pureed the chestnuts (with the water) in a blender and added it to the soup. I cooked everything for 10 minutes and pureed it in the pot using an immersion blender.
To serve, I added a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream (in a "swirl") and topped with the walnuts and chopped parsley. It had an extremely rich flavor. I thought of clam chowder as I was eating it. Chestnuts are very distinct in taste. It felt like fall. Even if the cold weather doesn't arrive, the Christmas music will.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg white
1 - 48 ounce container chicken stock
1/4 cup port wine
4 cans 8 ounce chestnuts packed in water (drained to 5 oz.)
2 cans 8 ounce chestnuts pureed
10 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Music: BarlowGirl - Carol of the Bells/Sing We Now of Christmas
Weather: 54-degrees
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