Storing and Preparing Chestnuts:
Due
to high moisture content Chestnuts
should be stored in your freezer or refrigerator.
They
store best in a cold, humid climate. To see if the chestnuts are
ready to use, try the "pinch test." Grasp the nut with your thumb
and forefinger, pinch together, if the shell feels firm, the
chestnuts may need to ripen (or cure) a little longer. If the shells
"give" slightly (they contain a little air space) - they are ripe,
sweet and ready to use for cooking or roasting. Wash off any dirt/mold (chestnuts are highly susceptible to
mold - however, if it is limited to he outer shell, the chestnut
is probably still good).
There
are several methods to prepare chestnuts. One of the most common
is to make two crosscut slices on their flat sides, place over quick
heat (or microwave for 3-4 minutes), then in oven until shells are
easily removed. Shells must be removed while nuts are still hot.
Some people cut the entire chestnut in half before roasting or cooking.
The half-shells are easily removed once heated.
Roasting
For
roasting over an open fire, or on a stove top, use a covered pan
or our old fashioned chestnut roaster. For roasting in an oven,
bring oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. For microwave
roasting, heat for 3-4 minutes at full power.
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Roasted Chestnut Soup with Dumplings
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2000 Food Network
1 1/2 pounds fresh chestnuts, roasted and peeled (or 2 (10-ounce) cans
whole chestnuts, drained)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon garlic
2 bay leaves
1 large Idaho potato, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 quarts light chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 cup warmed heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a saucepan combine chestnuts, onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves,
potato and chicken stock and simmer until potatoes are tender, about
45 minutes. In a blender, puree the soup in batches along with fresh
herbs, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in heavy cream and
season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the Dumplings:
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon quatre d'epices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 wonton wrappers
In the bowl of a food processor combine pork, garlic, green onions and
parsley and process until smooth. Add the Worcestershire, egg yolk,
heavy cream, crushed red pepper, quatre d'epices and salt and pepper
and pulse until thoroughly combined.
To assemble dumplings, use a spoon to place a tablespoon-sized dollop
of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Use your fingers to wet
the edges of the wrapper, then fold in half, easing edges so that they
meet to form a triangle. Press firmly to seal dumplings.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook dumplings in small
batches so as not to crowd. Dumplings are done when they float and
wrappers are tender and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve dumplings
floating in hot chestnut soup.
Chestnut Honey Pears
SERVES 4
The comice pears called for in this preparation are widely available
in the winter.
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 long strips orange zest
4 firm but ripe comice pears, peeled, halved, and cored
2 tbsp. chestnut honey
5 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbsp. cold butter, cubed
Salt
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1. Combine 6 cups water, wine, sugar, vanilla bean, and orange zest in
a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add pears and
poach until tender, 5–10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside,
allowing pears to cool in poaching liquid. When cool, transfer pears
to a plate. Pat dry with paper towels. Reserve poaching liquid.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very warm, then
add honey. Honey will bubble and foam, thinning out to coat bottom of
the skillet, about 1 minute. Place 4 pear halves, cut side down, in
hot honey. Cook pears until caramelized, shaking pan to prevent
burning, about 5 minutes. Remove pears from pan and set aside.
3. Add 1 cup poaching liquid (with vanilla bean) and 1 sprig thyme to
same skillet. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove
pan from heat, whisk in butter, one cube at a time, then add a pinch
of salt. Remove and discard vanilla bean and thyme and set sauce
aside.
4. To serve, coarsely chop remaining 4 uncaramelized poached pear
halves and divide among four plates. Place 1 caramelized pear half in
center of each plate, then spoon sauce over pears. Add a small scoop
of ice cream to each plate and garnish with a sprig of thyme.
First published in
Saveur, January/February 1999
Chestnut Stir Fry
Serves
4 to 6 ½ pound chestnuts*
1 small can bamboo shoots
1 cups dried shitake mushrooms
1cup zucchini (sliced into 2 inch spears)
7 oz. package bean thead noodles
4 thin slices fresh ginger
3 Tbs. peanut oil
soy sauce to taste
Place
bean threads in a pan and cover with boiling water, set aside. Peel
chestnuts by roasting then set aside. Heat oil in a wok and add
the ginger. Stir for 2 minutes then add the mushrooms and bamboo
shoots. Stir this for a few minutes. Remove ginger. Drain and chop
bean threads. Add to the fry and cook another 2 minutes. Season
with soy sauce and serve immediately.
Chestnut Dessert
2
pounds chestnuts*
½ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 or 5 apples
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons apricot jelly
Blanch
and peel the chestnuts and cook until soft, then rub through a sieve.
Make a syrup of the sugar and water, add vanilla and chestnuts and
stir until the mixture is smooth. Place in a ring on plate. Cook
the apples until soft, mash them, add butter, cinnamon, and apricot
jelly. Put this mixture in the center of the chestnut ring and garnish
with preserved fruits.
Chestnut Stuffing
for Turkey
2 pounds of Colossal Chestnuts
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
6 cups soft bread crumbs
½ cup melted butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 dash of pepper
6 slices of cooked, chopped bacon (optional)
Prepare and cook chestnuts (front page). Shell the chestnuts by
removing both the hard outer shell and the thin brown inside skin.
Dice chestnuts and mix with other ingredients. Stuff turkey or place
in bowl for cooking in oven with turkey. Makes 10 servings.
Chestnut Pancakes,
Waffles and Pastries
Substitute Arrowhead Chestnut Farms Fresh ground Chestnut Flour for
all or a portion of the white flour in your favorite waffle, pancake
or pastry recipe. Chestnut Flour is naturally sweet. Try your
favorite recipe with ¼ Chestnut Flour and ¾ white flour. Try our
Chestnut Puree as a natural sweet spread on your toast.
Braised Pork with Chestnuts Recipe
Ingredients
1 oven-ready pork roast, about 6 pounds (use the shoulder or bottom
round)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, coarsely sliced (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 pound peeled chestnuts (see Note below)
3 rutabagas (sometimes called yellow turnips), about 3-1/2 pounds
6-1/2 cups water
Sprinkle
the meat with the salt and pepper. Place in a large heavy kettle,
fat side down. Add 1/2 cup of water and place on medium heat. Cook
covered for 15 minutes. Uncover the meat and keep cooking until
all the liquid has evaporated and the meat starts to brown. Brown
all around. (This takes about 12 minutes.)
Add
the onions, 5 cups of water, cover and cook on medium heat for 1
hour. Add the chestnuts and cook covered for another hour. Meanwhile,
peel the rutabagas and cut them into 2- to 2-1/2-inch chunks. Shape
the pieces with a small knife so that they are equal in size and
cook uniformly. You will have about 2-1/2 pounds left. Add the rutabagas,
another cup of water and cook another 45 minutes covered.
Taste
for seasonings. It probably will need salt and pepper. By this time
there should not be much liquid left. Remove the roast to a serving
platter and using a slotted spoon, scoop out the chestnuts and rutabagas
and place around the meat. Tip the kettle to one side so that all
the juices accumulate in one corner and skim out as much fat as
you can. If you have less than 1 cup of juice left, add 3/4 to 1
cup of water to the kettle and boil on high heat for 1 or 2 minutes
to melt the solidified juices and to emulsify the juices together.
Pour over the meat or in a sauceboat and serve immediately. Yield:
8 servings
Note:
Peeling Chestnuts
With
the point of a sharp paring knife or chestnut splitter,
score each chestnut on both sides. The incisions help the skin release
during cooking. Put on a flat cookie tray (the chestnuts should
not overlap) and place in a preheated 400-degree F. oven for 30
minutes or use our chestnut one of the chestnut roasters in our
catalog. Remove from the oven and,
using a towel to avoid burning your hands, peel the chestnuts. Both
inner and outer skins should come off. Discard the bad ones.
Credits
Recipe from: Jacques Pepin Celebrates by Jacques Pepin (Alfred
A. Knopf)
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