No Peel Chestnut Purée Recipes

CHESTNUT-POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Place the chestnuts in a large saucepot and fill with water. Season generously with salt and bring the pot to a boil. Add the potatoes and continue to boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Drain the cooked potato-chestnut mixture and return to the pot. Add the hot cream and cold butter and stir vigorously until combined. Check the seasoning; add salt, if needed. If the mixture is a little stiff, add more cream and butter until it reaches the desired consistency. Place in a serving bowl and cover with foil until ready to serve.

NO-PEEL CHESTNUT PURéE

Steps:

• Set oven to 375 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Remove the shell and pith from the nut kernel in a colander or blanching basket (as described above). Save the water for now. Toss discolored nuts.
• Transfer nuts to a glass baking dish filled with 1/4 cup chestnut bath, and roast in oven for 12 minutes. (If ovens are at a premium, you can boil the nuts for 15 to 20 minutes and skip this step.)
• Pour chestnuts into a food processor with cream, butter and 1/2 cup chestnut water. Purée until the chestnuts have the texture of a smooth spackle. If the mixture seems more like mortar, add reddish water from the chestnut pot, 1/8 cup at a time, until the consistency seems pleasing.
• If you're trying to woo children, make a grand show of adding 2 tablespoons honey. Let them lick the spoon, which might have (just accidentally) touched the chestnut purée.
• Add salt and pepper to taste; serve hot.

SWEETENED CHESTNUT PURéE

Steps:

• Chop the chestnuts roughly and put in pot with sugar and water. Bring to boil, covered. Simmer 25-35 minutes, until softened and liquid turned to syrup. Remove from heat.
• Stain the chestnuts, reserving the syrup.
• Pure the chestnuts in a blender, adding syrup as you go, until desired consistency achieved.
• Add the vanilla.

CHESTNUT AND POTATO PURéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Prick each potato in a few places with a fork, then divide potatoes into 3 groups and wrap each group in foil. Bake in oven until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While potatoes bake, melt butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, then cook chestnuts, stirring, 5 minutes. Add half-and-half, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and gently simmer, covered, until chestnuts are very tender and cream is infused with bay leaf, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf, then transfer chestnuts with a slotted spoon to a blender. Add enough cooking liquid to purée chestnuts easily, then purée until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return purée to pot with remaining liquid and stir together. Keep warm over very low heat.
• Holding them with a kitchen towel to protect your hands, carefully unwrap and peel potatoes, a few at a time, and push through ricer into chestnut mixture. Stir to combine (mixture will continue to thicken) and season to taste.