[Sca-cooks] chestnut cream

[Lilinah]

Aislinn/AEscwynn wrote:
>I found a can of chestnut cream imported from France in my local discount
>store for fifty cents, so I couldn't pass it up. From the description of
>the can, it appears to be almost a syrup. Is there anything medieval I can
>use this with/on/in? Are chestnuts new world?

I can't speak to making anything period with it - i've found 
chestnuts in dishes, but not sweet purees. (doesn't mean they don't 
exist, just that i don't recall any)

However, what you have there is the basis of the famed dessert named 
"Mont Blanc". It's mostly chestnut puree and whipped cream.

--- First Ascent ---

Here's a recipe for Mont Blanc with meringues, making every part from 
scratch...

Mont Blanc (Chestnut Cream Meringues) Recipe

Meringues
4 egg whites, room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup less 1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

Chestnut Puree
3 pounds fresh chestnuts or one (1 pound 15 ounce) can chestnut puree
1 vanilla bean (if using fresh chestnuts)
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

Whipped Cream
1-1/2 cup whipping cream
1 to 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white, room temperature

Garnish
2 squares semisweet chocolate, grated


Instructions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet, sprinkle with 
flour, and mark one 9-inch circle or ten 3-1/2- inch circles (this 
may require more than one baking sheet).

In large bowl, beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Add cream of 
tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in 2 Tbsp sugar until 
mixture holds long, stiff peaks when beater is lifted. Fold in 
remaining sugar and vanilla. Place in pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch 
plain tube and pipe 1 large round or 10 small ones onto prepared 
sheet. Bake 1 hour or until meringue is firm to the touch. If 
meringue(s) brown during baking, reduce heat. Transfer meringue(s) to 
rack and let cool.

Peel chestnuts using small, sharp knife and leaving inner skin. 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place chestnuts in shallow heatproof 
dish and bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin dries and peels off 
easily. Rub nuts in rough cloth to remove skins. Place peeled nuts in 
saucepan with vanilla bean and water to cover and bring to a boil 
over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or 
until very tender. Remove vanilla bean (it may be washed and reused.) 
Drain chestnuts, then put through food mill or sieve, or in food 
processor, and puree.

Briefly boil together 3/4 cup water and sugar to make thin sugar 
syrup, then set aside to cool. When cool, beat enough syrup into 
chestnut puree to make it thin enough to pipe through pastry bag but 
still thick enough to hold its shape. If using canned puree, sweeten 
to taste, making sure it is thin enough to be piped. Fit pastry bag 
with 1/8-inch plain tube and fill with puree.

Beat cream until stiff, then add sugar to taste and vanilla. Beat egg 
white in separate bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold into cream. 
Place cream mixture into pastry bag fitted with star tip. Arrange 
meringue(s) on serving platter and pipe chestnut puree in bird's nest 
shape around edge of meringue. Pipe cream mixture in center, piling 
it high. Sprinkle grated chocolate over whipped cream and chill until 
serving time.

Yield: 10 servings

----- Descent from Mont Blanc complete ---

I'm no fan of meringues... they're just crunchy and sweet and they 
stick in my molars... So here's an alternate version WITHOUT the 
farkin' meringues...

----- Second Ascent of Mont Blanc -----

Mont Blanc Aux Marrons
Chestnut Mont-Blanc

1-1/2 kilos chestnuts
1 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, about 5 cm long
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sweet cream, well chilled
vanilla and sugar to taste

To prepare the chestnuts, cut a cross in the top of each chestnut and 
set them in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, boil for 1 
minute and remove from the flame. Drain the chestnuts, pour over cold 
water to cover and, before the chest- nuts become cool, peel off and 
discard the outer and inner skins.

In the top of a double boiler scald the milk together with 1/4 cup of 
the sugar and the vanilla bean. Add the peeled chestnuts and cook 
over boiling water until the chestnuts are very tender (about 30 
minutes). Drain the chestnuts and puree them in a food mill or with a 
sieve. (Do not discard the milk as it may be used later to make 
puddings or sweet rice desserts).

While the chestnuts are cooking, mix the remaining sugar with 6 
Tablespoons of water and boil, stirring regularly, until a 
temperature of 110 degrees Celsius (230 degrees Celsius) is obtained. 
Add the sugar syrup, butter and salt to the chestnut puree and then 
force through a ricer or a wire sieve, letting the vermicelli-like 
puree fall into a 23 centimeter ring mold. Turn the mold over on a 
chilled serving plate and place in the refrigerator. Let chill 
thoroughly before serving.

Pour the sweet cream into a completely dry chilled bowl and beat it 
by hand or with an electric beater until the cream is stiff enough to 
form soft peaks when the beater is lifted out. If the cream is not to 
be used immediately it may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 
two hours. Just before serving, fold in the sugar and vanilla extract 
and then fill the center of the chestnut ring with the cream, shaping 
the cream into a dome.

(Serves 8 - 10)

--- End Second Descent -----

Me, I enjoy sweet chestnut puree topped with home made whipped cream 
(with good quality vanilla and hardly any sugar) and surrounded by 
some nice dark chocolate sauce. Meringues... enh...

-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita