Winter Bisque with Cheddar and Chestnuts
Naturally nutty parsnips, licorice tasting fennel, and sweet-as-can-be onions don’t require a lot of complicated spicing or sautéing to create a deliciously bold bisque like this one. All this recipe needs is the full-bodied flavor of high quality Cheddar such as the Valley Forge Extra Sharp Cheddar. The sharpness of the melted Cheddar complements the bisque and brings further richness and creaminess to this soup.
Ingredients
- 4 medium parsnips
- 2 small fennel bulbs, diced (about 1 lb. each)
- 1 large sweet onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 4 cups lower sodium chicken broth
- ½ tsp. slat
- 1 pkg. (8oz.) Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups)
- 6 tbsp. sherry, divided
- 1 tsp. butter
- 8-10 cooked chestnuts, chopped
- ½ cup Il Villagio Mascarpone Cheese
- twig of fresh thyme to decorate
At a glance
Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 6
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, combine parsnips, fennel, onion, broth and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and simmer covered until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
- Puree with an immersion blender until smooth (or do it in batched in a blender.) Add Cheddar cheese and 4 tbsp. sherry. Summer, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted. Cover and keep warm.
- In a small nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add butter and chestnuts and cook, stirring constantly, until browned and crisp, 3-4 minutes.
- To serve, stir together Mascarpone cheese and remaining 2 tbsp. sherry. Swirl into each serving of soup and sprinkle with chestnuts, Decorate with thyme.
- TIP: (1) Diced celery root can be substituted for the fennel, although a slightly longer simmer time may be needed. (2) We use lower sodium chicken broth so that we can control the amount of salt added, omit the salt and taste at the end for seasoning.
