Creamy Apple Chestnut Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped shallots
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
4 cups apples (peeled and coarsely chopped, Pink Lady or Gala apples)
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
20 ounces whole peeled chestnuts (about 3 cups)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
Note
my original recipe did have 1/4 cup cream (optional)
Garnish
parsley crouton (I made baguettes topped with melted havarti and chopped fresh parsley)

Preparation

Base Vegetables -- Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. When it foams, add olive oil, shallots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Fruit and Seasoning -- Add apples and sage, season with additional salt and pepper, and cook, stirring rarely, until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.
Chestnuts -- add broth, water, and apple juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until apples and celery are tender, about 15 minutes.
Finishing -- Using a blender, puree soup in batches. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve garnished with croutons.
NOTE -- Now as I mentioned, a great simple salad with walnuts, roasted pears, beets and figs, some onions, bleu cheese vinaigrette is a perfect side. And then some Chardonney turkey sliders make this a perfect fall meal. The soup was made ahead as were the burgers and the roasted veggies and fruit for the salad. It took 20 minutes to grill, make the sides for the burgers and put together the salad. And grill up some drunken olives to get everyone started and you have a great party.