​Roast Chestnut and Stone Soup with Thyme Cream
for Thanksgiving or...next Thursday
​
November 2018

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Julia Stemper, Celebrator of Soup and Sonnets

At Artistic Director, Julia Stemper’s family Thanksgiving soup starts the night of feasting. Over the years different soups have made the cut, but this Roast Chestnut Soup with Thyme Cream is definitely one of the favorites.
At home it's served from a giant pig tureen...if you don't have a pig to put it in that's ok, just make sure you put it in your belly before it gets cold!

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Ingredients:

3 cups whole roasted chestnuts (bottled or fresh roasted works)
​1 magic soup stone
2 cups chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

directions for Chestnuts: 

Preheat oven to 400°

If using bottled roast chestnuts
-Place chestnuts on a jelly-roll pan
-Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. 

If roasting your own chestnuts
-Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each nut
-Place chestnuts on a jelly-roll pan
-Bake at 400° until the skins open and the insides are tender, (about 30 minutes)

Magic Soup Stone can be roasted...or not, chef's choice

directions for soup:

Once Chestnuts are roasted:

1. Place chestnuts in a large bowl; cool to room temperature.
2. Combine stone, onion, carrot, and oil on pan; toss to coat vegetables. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add to chestnuts (minus the stone); stir in broth.
3. Pour half of broth mixture into a blender; blend until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a Dutch oven. Repeat procedure with remaining broth mixture. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
4. Place pan over medium-high heat; add stone back to mixture, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Place cream in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt; beat at high speed until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Ladle about 3/4 cup soup into each of 10 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon cream. Sprinkle with thyme. Serve immediately (but not the stone, reserve the stone, rinse and save for another magical soup making day!)

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Stone Soup Recipe Archive

Not sure what kind of soup you are wanting?  Search your favorite ingredients below to find out what soups we've made that might match your mood.

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Have a great recipe for Stone Soup you want to submit?  E-mail [email protected] with your recipe and something about you.  If we choose your recipe to post, we'll send you an e-mail link to the site.  Even if you don't have your own recipe we hope you invite your neighbors over tonight and try your very own batch of Stone Soup.