Chestnut Soup with Truffles

For the soup: Make a cross in the rounded side of each chesnut. Place the chestnuts in a saucepan of cold water, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Drain, run under cold water and remove the shell  and the slightly bitter skin underneath.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, finely dice the pancetta, add to the pan and saute over low heat until golden brown. Peel the onion and carrot. Clean the mushrooms and finely chop the onion, carrot and mushrooms. Add the vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until tender,  5-10 minutes.

Place the chestnuts in a pot with the rosemary, bay leaf and 1 liter (approximately 1 quart) water, adding more water if necessary to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for  20 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove a few chestnuts from the soup for garnish and let drain.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth, cut the vegetables into slices or strips and blanch in the vegetable broth until crisp-tender. Remove the vegetables, run under cold water and drain.  

In a skillet, melt the butter, add the sugar and cook the reserved chestnuts until glazed.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Make crosswise cuts in the duck breast skin and cook the duck, skin-side down in the pan. Cover and cook 3 minutes.  Continue to saute until the duck skin is crispy and the duck meat is tender and pink on the inside. Keep warm.

When the chestnuts begin to fall apart in the soup and the soup thickens, season with salt and pepper and vigorously stir. Season to taste with a little truffle oil. Working in batches if necessary, transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Strain through a sieve. Whip the cream to soft peaks, add to the soup and whisk until frothy.