Recipe#13129
Title: Chestnut Desserts
From: viv@tauon.ph.unimelb.edu.au (Viviane Buzzi)Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Subject: COLLECTION: chestnut puree
Date: 24 Dec 1994 00:22:16 -0500
Organization: University of Melbourne
Message-ID: <3d2v72$hhj@news.unimelb.EDU.AU>
Keywords: chestnut puree
COLLECTION: chestnut puree
The following are from "Grand Finales" by Vogue Australia:Chestnut Icecream
=================
Serves 8
300ml cream, 300ml milk, 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla essence or
rum for flavour (use the rum), 1 x 500g(16oz) can sweetened chestnut puree
(note the puree has vanilla added to it already).
Garnish: marron glace, chopped finely.
Bring the cream and milk to the boil in a saucepan. Beat the egg yolks with
the sugar. Pour some of the heated cream and milk onto the eggs and whisk.
Pour mixture back into the remaining heated cream. Cook over a low heat,
stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Strain into
a bowl and leave to cool. Add the chestnut puree and beat it well into the
custard. Flavour to taste with vanilla or a little rum. Chill in the
refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Freeze in an ice-cream maker (or use th old
method of beating it every half hour several times). Serve garnished
with chopped marron glace.
My note: Chestnuts go well with chocolate...serve this with chocolate
sauce and some chocolate curls to decorate too...superb for a special
occasion. Also, go easy on the rum...freezing intensifies the flavours
and alcohol is an anti-freeze...a little goes a long way....2 tablespoons
should be more than enough.
Bavarois Creme de Marron
========================
Prepare 1 day ahead of serving.
Serves 10
6 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups milk, vanilla essence, 10g gelatine,
250g can chestnut puree (if the sweetened variety, lessen the amount of
sugar used and omit the vanilla), 600ml cream, whipped.
Garnish: 1.5 blocks Toblerone chocolate, marrons glaces.
Vanilla Creme Anglaise:
5 egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 3/4 cups milk, vanilla essence.
To make the avarois: beat the egg yolks with sugar. Bring the milk to
the boil, pour a little into the yolks, mixing well, and pour it back
int the saucepan.
Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the
back of the spoon. Strain into a bowl and add vanilla essence to taste.
Dissolve the gelatine in a little water and add it to the mixture, stirring
well. Beat in the chestnut puree. Set the mixture aside to cool
thoroughly. Fold in the cream with a large balloon whisk. Lightly oil
a pretty mould and pour in the bavarois. Cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate overnight.
To prepare the garnish: place the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water.
Let the chocolate just melt and stir it well to avoid melting the nougat
in the chocolate. Dip the marrons in the chocolate and place them on a
cake cooler to harden. Store the marrons in an airtight container.
To make the creme anglaise: beat the egg yolks with sugar. Bring the milk
to the boil and pour a little into the yolks, mixing well. Pour the mixture
back into the saucepan and cook slowly until the custard coats the back of
a spoon. Strain into a bowl and leave to cool. Add vanilla essence to
taste. Cover and refrigerate.
To serve: turn the bavarois out onto a flat serving plate. Spoon creme
anglaise around it, and garnish with chocolate coated marron glaces.
My notes: you could make it more heady by flavouring the creme anglaise
with rum instead of vanilla and perhaps use some thin chocolate sauce
to make a nice butterflied pattern through the creme anglaise on the
plate. Looks very elegant.
Chestnut Log
============
Make 1 day ahead of serving.
Serves 8-10 (it's VERY rich).
Cake:
2 x 500g cans unsweetened chestnut puree (if using sweetened reduce
the sugar in the recipe or it will be sickly sweet),
1 tblsp cream, heated, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened,
3/4 cup castor sugar, 2 tblsp rum, pinch of salt, oil for mould or terrine.
Chocolate glaze:
155g dark chocolate, 150ml cream, 30g butter
Garnish: marron glace
To make the cake: beat all the ingredients with an electric beater until
they are thoroughly mixed and smooth. Oil a 23 x 10 cm (9 x 4 inch)
loaf tin and spoon in the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To make the glaze: melt the chocolate with the cream in a bowl set over
hot water. Beat in the butter and allow the mixture to cool until it
achieves a spreadable consistency.
Top unmould and ice the cake: run a knife around the loaf tin and unmould
the log onto a flat platter. Cover it with the chocolate glaze and place
in the refrigerator until set firmly. Chestnut log must be stored in
the refrigerator. Serve garnished with marron glace.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The following are from "Patisserie of Italy" by Jeni Wright.
Torta di Castagne
=================
Very moist and rummy, more like a pudding than a cake. Without the
cream filling and topping can be made up to 1 week in advance..after
cooling, wrap it tightly and store in an airtight tin. Once the cake has
been assembled with the cream it should be kept in the fridge. Allow it
to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving so
that the full flavour of the cake can be savoured.
Serves 8 - 10
150g plain flour, pinch salt, 250g butter, softened, 200g sugar,
325g canned sweetened chestnut puree, 9 eggs, separated, 7 tbsp dark rum,
300ml double/heavy cream, 4-6 marron glaces to decorate.
Grease a 22cm/8.5inch springform cake tin. Line the bottom with nonstick
baking paper, then grease the paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl,
beat the butter and 175g sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in
250g of the chestnut puree a little at a time, alternating with the egg
yolks. Fold in the flour until evenly incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the
cake mixture until evenly incorporated. Turn the mixture into the prepared
cake tin, level the surface and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted
into the centre comes our clean. Remove the cake from the oven and pierce
holes in the top with a fine skewer, then pour over 4 tbsp of the rum.
Leave the cake in the tin until completely cold. It may crack and flatten
slightly on cooling...this is normal.
Remove the cake from the tin and slice into 2 layers. Whip the cream
with the remaining chestnut puree, sugar and rum. Place on cake on a
plate and spread with some of the cream mixture. Top with the other layer
and swirl over the remaining cream mixture. Decorate with the
marrons glaces.
My note: This looks nice decorated with chocolate rose leaves too.
Crostata di Marroni
===================
Serves 4-6.
Pastry:
225g plain flour, 85g ground almonds, 85g caster sugar, pinch salt,
150g butter, softened, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk.
Filling:
440g can unsweetened chestnut puree (reduce sugar in recipe if using the
sweetened variety), 115g sugar, 2 tbsp water, pinch cream of tartar,
1 tbsp rum, 1-2 tbsp icing sugar to finish.
Make the pastry: sift the flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt onto a
cold work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the butter in pieces
and then the egg and egg yolk. Work the ingredients together lightly with
your fingertips, gradually bringing the flour into the centre (or just
use a food processor). Gather the dough into a rough ball, then knead
gently on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the chestnut puree in a bowl and mash
well with a fork. Put the sugar, water and cream of tartar in a small
saucepan and stir over very gentle heat until dissolved. Bring to the boil
and boil for 1 minute then pour into the chestnut puree and beat until
well mixed. Add the rum and beat again to mix.
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Cut the pastry in half and use one half
to line a 20 - 23cm/8-9inch sloping sided, loose bottomed flan tin. Spread
the chestnut filling evenly in the tin, then crumble the remaining dough
evenly over the top. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the pastry is
golden brown. Remove the sides of the tin and leave the tart to cool on
a wire rack. Sift icing sugar lightly over the crumble topping just before
serving.
Just a note: add sugar gradually if substituting the sweetened puree
for the unsweetened kind as the sweetened one is very sweet....be very
conservative in your amounts or the result could be sickly sweet.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Chestnut Creams
===============
Source: The Chocolate Lovers Cookbook, Bay Books
60g unsalted butter, 60g cooking chocolate, 60g copha (vegetable shortening),
125g sweetened chestnut spread/puree, 2 tsp rum, 125g milk chocolate.
Bring butter to room temperature. Melt chopped chocolate and chopped
copha over hot water, remove and allow to cool without setting.
Cream butter and beat in chestnut spread and rum. Stir in cooled
chocolate mixture. Melt additional chocolate over hot water (I'd use
dark chocolate instead of milk....it turns out much better). Place 36
coloured foil cases on tray and pour 1/2 teaspoon melted chocolate
into each case, just enough to cover base. Reserve remaining melted
chocolate.
Place chestnut mixture into a piping bag fitted with a fluted tube and
pipe swirls of mixture into foil cases. Trickle reserved melted chocolate
over chestnut mixture in cases. Keep refrigerated until serving.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
The following are from "Viennese Desserts Made Easy" by Georgina Gronner:
Salzburger Torte
================
16 Servings
7 eggs, separated, 3/4 cup sugar, 1.5 cups ground almonds,
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, ground, 3 tblsp flour,
Chestnut Filling (recipe follows)
Garnish: 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted.
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
Set aside.
Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Mix in
almonds, chocolate and flour. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff.
Fold in batter. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until
skewer inserted comes out clean (about 35 minutes). Remove from oven to
cool on a wire rack.
Prepare chestnut filling and set aside to cool.
When cake is cool, slice into two layers. Frost bottom layer with
Chestnut Filling. Top with second layer and frost top and sides with
remaining filling. Place a 4 inch wide jar lid or other round form over
centre of cake. Sprinkle toasted almond slivers over top of cake. Remove
lid. To serve, cut into 16 wedges.
Chestnut Filling:
4 egg yolks, 1/4 cup whipping cream, 2 tblsp cornstarch,
1 x 17.5 ounce can sweetened chestnut puree, 1 cup butter, at room
temperature, 1/4 cup icing sugar, 3 tblsp rum.
In a non-stick pan, cook egg yolks, cream, cornstarch and chestnut puree
over low heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat
right away. Set aside to cool.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add cooled chestnut mixture
and beat until smooth. Taste and add more sugar or rum if desired.
Festliche Schokoladen Marzipan Torte
====================================
(Chocolate Chestnut Marzipan Delight)
Serves 16
5 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder,
2 tblsp "Dutch process" cocoa, 1 recipe Chocolate Icing (recipe follows)
Chestnut Filling (recipe follows), 1/4 cup apricot jam, 1 cup almond
paste.
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
Set aside.
Beat eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and cocoa until smooth. Pour batter
into prepared pan and bake in oven until skewer inserted comes out clean
(about 25 minutes). Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
Prepare icing and Chestnut Filling and set aside to cool.
When cake is cool, remove from pan and cut into two layers. Frost bottom
layer with Chestnut Filling. Top with remaining cake layer. Warm the
apricot jam and spread on top of cake. Dust the bottom disc of a springform
pan with sugar. Place the almond paste in the centre of the disc and, with
a rolling pin, roll into a thin circle. With a sharp knife, trim excess
paste around edge of disc. Reserve almond paste scraps for decoration.
Invert the springform disc with the almond paste over the cake top.
With a long metal spatula, gently loosen the almond paste onto the cake top.
Cover the cake top and sides with the chocolate icing. Divide almond paste
scraps into 16 pieces. Roll gently between palms to form tiny balls.
Decorate the outer edge of the cake with the 16 balls. To serve, cut into
16 wedges.
Chestnut Filling:
1 cup sweetened chestnut puree, 1 tblsp lemon juice, 1/3 cup whipping cream,
1 egg yolk.
Combine ingredients in a nonstick pan and cook over low heat until
mixture thickens. Stir constantly while cooking. Remove from heat
and cool.
Chocolate Icing:
1/2 cup butter, 1 cup semisweet/bittersweet chocolate.
Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan. Add chocolate to butter. Remove
>from heat and stir until smooth. Let cool until icing is of spreading
consistency.
To melt refrigerated icing: Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly,
just until chocolate melts. Remove from heat and let cool until icing
is of a spreading consistency.
Kastaniencreme (Chestnut Buttercream)
=====================================
This is great as a filling for whatever cake you like...especially
chocolate!
4 egg yolks, 1 x 17.5 ounce can sweetened chestnut puree, 1/2 cup
semisweet chocolate, 1 cup butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup icing sugar,
2 to 3 tblsp bourbon or rum.
In a heavy saucepan, cook egg yolks, chestnut puree, and chocolate over
low heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat
right away. Set aside to cool.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chestnut
mixture. Add liqueur and beat until creamy. Taste and add more liqueur
if desired.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Chocolate Chestnut Cake
=======================
Source: Chocolatier Magazine, November 1992.
8 - 10 servings
Chocolate chestnut cake:
4oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped,
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped,
1/4 cup plus 1 tblsp kirsch, 3/4 cup canned unsweetened chestnut puree,
4 large eggs, separated (at room temp), 2 tsp vanilla extract,
6 tblsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons,
1/3 cup sifted flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sugar.
Chocolate Glaze:
6 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, 3/4 cup heavy/double cream,
2 tblsp light corn syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract,
white chocolate curls for garnish (optional).
Make the cake:
Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 350F/180C.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 2 inch round cake pan. Line the
bottom with a circle of baking parchment or waxed paper and butter the
paper.
Melt the chocolate with the kirsch in a bowl over hot (not boiling) water.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer
set at medium speed, beat the chestnut puree into the chocolate mixture
just until blended. The mixture will look lumpy. One at a time, beat in
the egg yolks, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides
of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla.
One tablespoon at a time, beat in the butter, making sure each addition
is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour and salt
and mix on low speed just until the mixture is smooth.
In a grease-free large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites
at low speed until frothy. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat
the whites until they form soft peaks. While continuing to beat, gradually
add the sugar one teaspoon at a time. Beat the whites until they form
stiff, shiny peaks.
Fold one third of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it.
Fold in the remaining whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan
and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
Bake the cake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch
>from the side of the pan comes out clean; the centre of the cake will remain
soft and creamy. Do not overbake. Set the cake in the pan on a wire rack
to cool for 1 hour.
When the cake is completely cool, invert it onto an 8.5 inch cardboard cake
circle and peel off the paper circle. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap
and refrigerate overnight.
Make the chocolate glaze:
Put the chocoate in a 1 quart measuring cup with a pouring spout. In a small
saucepan, set over medium heat, heat the cream and corn syrup, stirring
constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. Pour
the hot cream over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to
melt the chocolate. Gently whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
Glaze the cake:
Unwrap the chilled cake and put it (still on the cardboard circle) on a
wire rack. Set the wire rack with the cake over a baking sheet. Pour the
warm chocolate glaze over the cake, coating it completely. Gently tap the
wire rack several times to remove any excess glaze. Use the end of a pin
to pop any unsightly air bubbles. Put the baking sheet with the cake in
the refrigerator and chill for 5 to 10 minutes to set the glaze.
Using two long metal cake spatulas, transfer the cake to a plate. Cut the
cake while it is still chilled with a hot knife. Rinse the knife blade
between slices. Transfer the cake slices to dessert plates. If desired,
garnish the top of each piece of cake with a sprinkling of white chocolate
curls. Let the cake slices stand at room temperature for 20 minutes
before serving. You can even dust the plate with some cocoa and serve
a few marrons glaces on the side.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Chestnut Souffle` with Chocolate Cream
======================================
Source: Best Recipes from the Weekly, The Australian Women's Weekly.
Serves 6
45g butter, 2 tblsp plain flour, 250g can sweetened chestnut puree,
1/2 cup milk, 4 eggs, separated, 2 egg whites, extra.
Chocolate Cream:
300ml thickened cream, 60g dark cooking chocolate, 1 tblsp brandy.
Melt butter in pan, add flour, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add
milk, stir until sauce boils and thickens. Add chestnut spread and egg
yolks, stir over low heat until combined. Beat all egg whites until soft
peaks form, fold one third of the egg whites into chestnut mixture then
pour chestnut mixture into egg whites, gently fold through.
Grease 6 souffle dishes (3/4 cp capacity where 1 cup = 250ml) with
butter, coat sides and base with sugar, shake away excess. Divide mixture
between dishes. Bake in moderately hot oven 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle
top with icing sugar if desired. Serve immediately.
Chocolate cream:
Melt chocolate over hot water; cool. Add chocolate to cream, beat until
soft peaks form. Fold in brandy, refrigerate.
My note: Use heavy/double cream and good quality bittersweet chocolate
for the cream for a better taste and texture. Also, better than this
cream is a chocolate sauce.....heat 300ml heavy/double cream until
it reaches boiling point and pour over 150g - 200g bittersweet chocolate
which has been finely chopped. Let stand for 30 seconds to melt the
chocolate then stir until smooth. Cool then stir in the brandy.
Another nice idea is to serve chocolate icecream as a foil to the warm
souffle or a brandy icecream.
Chocolate Chestnut Log
======================
Source: Dinner Party Cookbook No. 2, The Australian Women's Weekly
100g almond paste (arzipan), 125g sweetened chestnut puree/spread,
125g dark cooking chocolate, 60g dark cooking chocolate, extra
(NB: use a good bittersweet chocolate instead for better results).
Knead marzipan with fingers until smooth (do not use any sugar), work
in chestnut spread with wooden spoon then stir in cooled melted
chocolate. Shape into a log 4 cm (1.5 inches) in diameter and wrap in
foil. Refrigerate several hours, or until set. Melt extra chocolate,
spread over log evenly, allow to set at room temperature. Serve sliced.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Miscellaneous:
It's also great to use as a filling in crepes, in mousses, tarts,
anything your imagination can come up with.