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In the Ardèche, the steep, wooded country west of the Rhône, the chestnut was for centuries the bread of the poor, dried and ground into flour when wheat would not grow. The region’s chestnuts now carry their own protected designation, and every October and November the villages celebrate the harvest with Castagnades, festivals of roasting chestnuts, new cider and music.

A chestnut velouté is the elegant end of that tradition: silky, sweet and earthy, a starter that feels luxurious with very little effort. It is also a reliable first course for Thanksgiving.

Chestnut country

The Ardèche makes a beautiful detour from Provence; pair it with a stay at La Mirande in Avignon. Across the border, Italy has its own chestnut feasts, and in Rome and Paris street vendors sell them hot in paper cones as the evenings cool. Our guide to Rome and guide to Paris have more for an autumn trip.

Use cooked chestnuts

Vacuum-packed, peeled chestnuts are excellent and save an hour of scoring and peeling. If you roast your own, you will need about 1 1/2 pounds in the shell.

Ingredients

Serves 6 as a starter.

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 shallots and 1 small leek, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 14 oz (400 g) cooked, peeled chestnuts
• 4 cups (950 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 sprigs thyme and 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, plus more to serve
• 1 tbsp dry sherry or Madeira (optional)
• Salt, white pepper and a little nutmeg
• Chopped chives and a few crumbled chestnuts, to garnish

Method

1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the shallots, leek and celery gently for 10 minutes without coloring.
2. Simmer. Add the chestnuts, stock, thyme and bay. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the chestnuts are very soft. Remove the herbs.
3. Blend. Blend until completely smooth, then pass through a sieve for a true velouté.
4. Finish. Return to the pan, stir in the cream and sherry, and season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. Thin with stock if needed.

How to serve it

In small warm bowls, with a swirl of cream, chives and a few crumbled chestnuts. A drop of truffle oil is a good indulgence.

What to pour

A dry Amontillado sherry, which echoes the nuttiness, or a white Côtes du Rhône.

Make a menu of it

Serve it before our pork with apples and Calvados or the red wine braised short ribs, and keep it in mind for Thanksgiving. More seasonal recipes are At the Table.

Photo: RaveDog; Julian Freyer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0