Chestnut and foie gras cream soup

METHOD

1. Simmer the chestnuts in the milk with the sage for about an hour, or until very soft when pierced with a skewer. Remove chestnuts, set aside. Strain the milk through a fine sieve and put aside. While they are still warm, peel the fine skin from the chestnuts and purée in the food processor with the milk until very smooth. Strain this through a fine sieve into a stainless steel saucepan, add 1 litre of chicken stock.
2. In the food processor, purée 50g of raw foie gras with one tablespoon of chicken stock, then add this to the chestnut mixture, season, add the cream and let it cook gently for 15 minutes. Add more chicken stock if it is too thick. It should be smooth and silky. Meanwhile, dice all the remaining foie gras into 2cm wide squares, 1cm thick, and then sauté them gently in a very hot non-stick frying pan without any fat or oil for about one minute on each side. Season.
3. Divide the foie gras evenly between the (warm) soup plates, and pour the very hot chestnut cream on top.

* Frozen and preserved chestnuts are available from selected gourmet food stores and greengrocers. Foie gras is available from selected gourmet food stores.