Chestnut & Porcini Mushroom Velouté
Date: 23-04-2018
Ingredients for 8 people:
- 500g cooked chestnuts
- 50g dry porcini mushrooms (ceps)
- 4 shallots (sliced)
- 1L chicken stock
- 300ml cream
- 50g butter
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 6 springs of thyme
- 200g ventrèche in batonnets (Unsmoked, air-dried, salt-cured Bacon from Gascony)
- 100g shaved Beaufort cheese (firm raw cow’s milk cheese associated with the gruyère family)
- A handful of chopped Italian parsley
Preparation:
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, add shallots and garlic, sweat over moderate heat.
- Add the chicken stock and cream, bring to the boil. Add the chestnuts and dry porcini mushrooms. Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Add thyme, infuse for 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Purée in a blender in batches and keep warm.
- Over medium-high heat crisp up the ventrèche batonnets.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the crispy ventrèche, shaved Beaufort and chopped Italian parsley.
Serve with a beautiful warm French baguette et voila!
