[Sca-cooks] Chestnuts

[phoenissa at netscape.net]

One of my favorite confections in the world is the candied chestnut (marron glace), a gastronomical delight with an astronomical cost (less than truffles and caviar, but still quite expensive).  I have never found them for reasonable cost in the US - maybe I haven't been looking in the right places - and so these candies are a very rare treat for me, to be had only if I am in Europe or if someone I know can bring them back for me.  I therefore have undertaken a great experiment, to see if I can produce a passable batch of marrons glaces in my own kitchen.  I found some lovely large, plump chestnuts at the market this week (they must be the first of the season), and I bought about a dozen to try the process on.  If this works, I'll be doing it a *lot* :-)

I'm using a recipe from an very old edition of the Joy of Cooking, and the process doesn't look too difficult, but very time-consuming.  But it's my first time with candy-making, and I'm a bit nervous as to how it will come out.  Any advice to offer a novice confectioner? :-)

And...you knew I had to ask this eventually...are candied chestnuts period?  I seem to recall seeing a reference from around the 18th c., but I don't know about earlier than that.  Would they have been eaten in late-16thc. Tuscany?  I know that chestnuts were, and still are, a major crop in that region, and I know they were used in savory dishes, but what about in desserts?

Also, the recipe says to let the chestnuts sit for a couple days in a jar of heavy sugar syrup with a couple tablespoons of cognac.  I don't have any, and I'm not going to buy any because I wouldn't use it enough to warrant buying a whole bottle.  I realize this adds a great deal to the flavor, but can I leave it out?  Or is there an acceptible substitute?  (We had a housewarming party last night and someone brought us a huge bottle of very nice Scotch whiskey.  However I don't drink hard liquor and my roommate doesn't drink at all, so we don't know what to do with it...can I use it to replace the cognac?  Is it good for any sort of cooking??)

Sorry to bug the list with so many questions, but I'm hoping to glean at least a little bit of advice :-)  I'm sure most of you have been doing the cooking thing longer than I have...

Thank you!

Vittoria


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