Chestnut Cranberry Bisque Recipes

Steps:

• SOUP: Over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the bacon has slightly browned and has started to render its fat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook slowly, until soft and translucent. Add the parsnip, potato, chestnuts, thyme, port and red wine and simmer on low heat until it is almost reduced completely. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook until the chestnuts have completely softened, about 30 minutes. Finish with heavy cream, remove the thyme springs and puree in the blender. Strain the soup through a fine sieve and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• GARNISH: In a large saute pan or nonstick skillet, heat the butter on low. Add the chanterelles, chestnuts, white wine and carrots and cook on low heat until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the chives.
• To serve, place the warm garnish mixture in the center of a warm soup bowl. Sprinkle with celery leaves, and carefully pour the soup around the garnish mixture.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add carrots, onion, and celery, and saute until soft, about 7 minutes.
• Add chestnuts and continue cooking 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add stock and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to simmer and add apple juice, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Simmer 15 minutes.
• Add tarragon and continue cooking 5 minutes.
• Puree the soup in a blender.
• Return to saucepan and reheat.
• Adjust seasonings as needed.
• Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a paring knife to score an X on each chestnut, place on a cookie tray and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the chestnuts can be easily peeled. Remove the chestnuts from the oven, let cool and peel. Chop roughly and set aside.
• In a soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon and the butter until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, add the red onion, carrot and shallots, stir, partially cover the pan and allow the vegetables to cook very slowly, without browning, for 5 minutes. Add the chestnuts, stir well and cook an additional minute. Increase the heat to medium and add the brandy, scraping the pan well, and then add the white wine and vegetable or chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Use a food processor or blender to puree the chestnut mixture and then return to low heat. Add the heavy cream and the wild rice. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Steps:

• Place a Dutch oven over low heat. Add the butter and melt. Add the celery, onion and garlic and sweat until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the stock, chestnuts, sherry, heavy cream, bay leaf and thyme, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the chestnuts are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, whisk together the creme fraiche and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl until combined. Set aside for garnish.
• Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaf from the soup. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and puree on high speed until very smooth (raise the speed of the blender gradually and leave the lid ajar to allow the steam to escape). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, thinning with more heavy cream as desired and a splash of the sherry. Serve warm, garnished with the spiced creme fraiche.

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add chestnut puree, light cream, broth, shallots, salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat. Stir in cranberry sauce and sherry until heated through. Serves 4 people. Garnish each serving with fresh parsley, cranberries and a sour cream swirl.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6 / fan oven 180C
• a) Cut a 23cm / 9in circle from a piece of non-stick baking parchment. Cut a 13cm / 5in circle from the middle, to make a ring shape (use a desert plate and saucer as guides if necessary). Make 1cm deep cuts, spaced 3cm / 5 in apart, all the way around the inside and outside edges of the ring.
• b) Brush a 12 Litre / 2 pint non-stick ring mould with oil and use the paper ring to line the base. Brush with a little more oil.
• a) Heat half the butter (25g) and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan until the butter is foaming.
• b) Gently fry the Onion, Leek, and Garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened
• c) Place the chestnuts in a food processor and process until most are finely chopped but some slightly larger pieces remain.
• a) Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl
• b) Return the pan to the heat and melt the remaining butter (25g) and oil (1tbsp)
• c) Add the chestnuts and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until lightly browned
• a) Tip the chestnuts into the bowl with the onion mixture and stir in almost all the cranberries, reserving some for decoration, the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary, eggs, grated apples and plenty of seasoning. Mix well
• b) Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin, pressing it down with the back of a spoon.
• c) Dot with pieces of cheese then cover with the remaining chestnut mixture.
• a) Bake for 40-45 minutes until the ring is lightly browned and starting to come away from the sides of the tin.
• b) Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Oil a baking sheet
• c) Loosen the edges with a round bladed knife and turn out onto an oiled baking sheet
• d) Discard the Lining paper and leave the chestnut ring to cool for 1 hour until cold.
• a) Unroll one pack of pastry onto a lightly flowered surface. Using a sharp knife cut out 2x20cm strips reserving the leftover pastry.
• b) Arrange the pastry strips over the chestnut ring, tucking in the edges with a round bladed knife as you go.
• a) Re-roll the reserved pastry (Cook tip 2) to about 2mm thick. Cut leaf shapes from the pastry and mark on veins with a knife.
• b) Brush the pastry strips with egg yolk (Cook tip 1). Then attach the pastry leaves, curling and overlapping them to form a number of flower shapes spaced evenly around the ring.
• c) Shape several small balls of pastry and attach three to the centre of each flower with a dab of the egg yolk. (Cover and chill the remaining egg glaze)
• d) Cover with cling film and chill for at least 45minutes.
• a) Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6 / fan oven 180C
• b) Brush the pastry decorations carefully with the reserved egg yolk.
• c) Bake for 40-45minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown. If necessary cover the top of the ring with foil if it begins to over-brown before the sides are cooked.
• a) Remove from the oven and slide gently onto a warmed serving plate.
• b) Garnish the ring with the remaining cranberries, the extra rosemary sprigs and the bay leaves.
• c) Serve with a rich sherry gravy and vegetables of your choice.

Steps:

• Peel and seed squash; cut squash into 3/4-inch chunks. Peel onion and chop.
• In a 5- to 6-quart nonstick pan over medium-high heat, stir onion, celery, and butter until onion is limp, about 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chestnuts and stir until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add squash and broth. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash mashes easily when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Add milk.
• In a blender, whirl soup, a portion at a time, until smooth. Return soup to pan, add salt to taste, and, if needed, stir over medium heat until steaming. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with more chopped chestnuts, if desired.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Finely chop the apples either by hand or in a food processor.
• Squeeze the sausagemeat from the sausages into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients, except the cranberries and streaky bacon. Season generously, then get your hands in and mix well. Weigh out 450g of the stuffing and mix a handful of the cranberries into it. Use to stuff the neck of the turkey (see 'Goes well with').
• To assemble, butter and season a large sheet of foil. Stretch out the bacon rashers slightly with the back of a kitchen knife, then overlap 12 rashers on the foil. Spoon half of the stuffing mix evenly over the bacon, leaving a border of about 3cm. Scatter with half the cranberries, then pat them in. Tuck the long edges of the bacon over the stuffing; then, using the foil to help, roll the stuffing up into a log shape. Repeat to make a second roll.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the foil-wrapped rolls onto a roasting tin and roast for 45 mins. Unwrap, draining off any juice, then finish roasting for 15 mins until the bacon is crisp.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2 1/2 - 3 quart backing dish.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the stock until steam starts to rise, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add dried cranberries. Set aside.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add onion, celery and carrots and saute, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.
• If using, in same pan, saute the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the bowl with vegetables.
• In a large bowl, stir the egg while slowly pouring in the stock and cranberries. Add the bread and toss until well blended. Let standing, stirring occasionally, until the stock is absorbed, 6-8 minutes.
• Add the vegetable mixture, chestnuts, sage, thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and stir well to mix. Transfer to prepared baking dish and bake until browned and crispy, about 45-50 minutes.