Did You Try Making: Liz & Jewels' Chestnut Soup with Mushrooms and Thyme

October 22, 2013

Did You Try Making: Liz & Jewels’ Chestnut Soup with Mushrooms and Thyme

Although Muenster and Brooklyn are separated by an ocean, geography didn’t stop designer and cookbook author, Liz and photographer and food blogger, Jewels from cooking together. Their blog, Liz and Jewels, catalogues the adventures of two girls cooking on two continents. Online, Liz and Jewels tackle the same recipe using local ingredients and photograph their results. Putting their talents together, they also launched a series of workshops on food styling and photography which they run in Weimar, Münster and New York. For autumn, they tested a chestnut soup and shared the recipe with Countlan.

Recipe: Chestnut Soup with Mushrooms and Thyme

1 onion
1 tablespoon butter
400g of chestnuts (precooked or fresh)
1/2 liter vegetable broth
a handful of mushrooms
thyme
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons of cream fresh

Instructions:

Dice onion, fry in butter, add chestnuts, and then add the broth. Cut mushrooms, add to soup (put a few on the side to use as garnish). Let the soup boil for 5 to 10 minutes. In the meantime fry mushrooms you reserved as a garnish in a pan with some oil or butter. Puree the soup and add salt and pepper if needed. You can also add a splash of cream, if you like creamy soups. Garnish with thyme and crème fraiche.

Photo Source: Liz and Jewels

A Must Try In Münster:
Currywurst + fries from Dieks Kaffee & Curry at the weekly market, coffee from roestbar, a small private roasting house and waffles from Milchmaedel.

A Must Try In Brooklyn:
Australian feta from the Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, a doughnut from the famous doughnut place called Dough and an espresso from one of the many new really good coffee places we have here.

INTERVIEW: Liz & Jewels

01 When and why did you launch your blog about two girls cooking on two continents?
Liz: In 2012 we had the idea for “two girls cooking on two continents” and launched the blog last year. Doesn’t everyone know the frustrating feeling when you cook something from a cookbook and it doesn’t look like the picture in the end? We thought it would be a fun idea to see what happens, when two people cook the same recipe on two continents.

I’ve always been fascinated by the visual aspect of food. This led me to my first cookbook in 2010, which was so successful, that two more followed immediately. I’m co-founder of my design agency “Nieschlag + Wentrup“, which I started in 2001. With my agency partner Lars Wentrup I created the concept and design of all three cookbooks and realized the photo-concept with Jewels. Together we started giving workshops on “Food Styling & Photography”, which took place in Weimar, Münster and New York

Jewels: I am a big foodie and like trying new recipes, watching cooking shows and reading food magazines. So photographing food just adds to my passion for food! Whenever I don’t photograph food, I am focused on architectural and interior photography.

02 Why did you choose your recipe for autumn?
Liz: I just happen to love chestnuts! I love collecting them and can’t wait until the Christmas-markets start, where you can get roasted chestnuts.

Jewels: I also really like chestnuts. And soups are just so easy to make. Especially in the fall, when it gets nasty outside, a warm, delicious soup is just the right thing to get comfy inside.

03 If someone were to visit your city, which three restaurants are not to be missed?
Liz: The Italian restaurant “Caputo’s” with great food and a new place called “Epi“, a french boulangerie- their bread is awesome.

Jewels: The English restaurant “Dear Bushwick” in my neighborhood, “Isa” in Williamsburg and the famous “Robertas”

04 Do you entertain at home?
Liz: Entertaining is great fun, but it has to be fuss-free. Both in style and food.

Jewels: I like doing “craft nights” with my neighbors: We meet once a week to try a new craft that we found on pinterest, such as tie dying scarfs, creating bowls out of concrete, making necklaces out of jumprings…

05 What can always be found on your table?
Jewels: bubbly water

06 How often do you two get to hangout and cook together?
Liz: Unfortunately not often enough!!! We cook a lot together ‘virtually’, but in real life it’s only 2 times a year!

Jewels: Almost never! But virtually we are meeting daily. 🙂

Get Cracking: Recipes with Chestnuts