Chestnut Soup

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb Spanish chestnuts
• 2 quarts good stock
• mace
• cayenne
• salt
• 0.75 pint rich cream

Instructions

1. Strip the outer rind from the Spanish chestnuts.
2. Throw them into a large pan of warm water and remove from the fire as soon as it becomes too hot for the fingers to remain in it.
3. Lift out the chestnuts and peel them quickly, throwing them into cold water as each is done.
4. Wipe and weigh the peeled chestnuts.
5. Take three quarters of a pound of prepared chestnuts for each quart of soup and cover them with good stock.
6. Stew the chestnuts gently for more than three quarters of an hour, or until they break when touched with a fork.
7. Drain the chestnuts.
8. Pound them smoothly, or bruise them to a mash with a strong spoon, and rub them through a fine sieve reversed.
9. Mix the chestnut purée with the proper quantity of stock by slow degrees.
10. Add sufficient mace, cayenne, and salt to season the soup.
11. Stir the soup often until it boils.
12. Stir in three quarters of a pint of rich cream, or even less, if desired.