Autumn Soup

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup calvados or 1/2 cup brandy
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 whole star anise
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 750 g pumpkin, fresh chopped
• 3 granny smith apples, peeled chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked chestnuts or 1/3 cup unsweetened chestnut puree
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• fresh sage, leafs deep fried as garnish

Recipe

• 1 melt the butter in a pan and together with th eolive oil saute the onion on a low flame until they become golden in colour.
• 2 add the calvados and cook until the mixture is almost dry. add the stock, potatoes, pumpkin, apples, star anise, chestnuts and bayleaf.
• 3 bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender. remove bayleaf and staranise, then blend in batches in a food processor.
• 4 season with salt and freshly ground pepper. to serve drop a tsp of creme fraiche on the top of the soup. garnish with chopped sage leafs.
• 5 * i serve this with bacon flavoured toasted baguette ( blend some bacon and butter, spread on bread, grill).