Chestnut cream soup with spiced bacon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 tsp sugar
• 40 g carrot(s), diced
• 40 g celeriac, diced
• 40 g onion(s), diced
• 300 g chestnuts, peeled, e.g. vacuum-packed
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 200 ml chicken stock, possibly more
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice
• 4 slices of breakfast bacon
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tsp allspice powder
• 100 ml cream
• 1 tbsp butter, ice-cold
• 4 tbsp walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped and roasted

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

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Caramelize the sugar with 3 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Sauté the carrots, celery, and onion, then stir in the chestnuts. Deglaze the vegetables with the wine, pour in the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 30 to 40 minutes on low heat. Then puree the contents of the pan and strain through a sieve if desired. Season the soup with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Sprinkle the bacon slices with cinnamon and allspice. Place the slices between two layers of baking paper, place them in a pan, and weigh them down with a saucepan. Fry the bacon over low heat until crispy. This takes about 10 minutes. Whip the cream until semi-stiff. Foam the soup again with a hand blender, mixing in the ice-cold butter. Briefly fold the cream into the soup. Serve the chestnut cream soup in cups or soup bowls with the chopped nuts and seasoned bacon. Serve with a piece of bread, if desired.