Chestnuts

Fresh chestnuts are available during their season here in Australia, from March to July.
Choosing fresh nuts: - smooth and glossy and dense for their size, avoid any that are shrivelled, cracked.

fresh medium-small chestnuts

You can get large chestnuts or small chestnuts.  The medium-small chestnuts that I purchased were excellent.  I boiled about twenty-five nuts; only two chestnuts were terrible,  black and bitter-uneatable.

black and bitter chestnut, unbeatable 

Keep the fresh chestnuts, in a cool and dry place, free of drafts, use within a week. Sweet chestnuts in their shell, can keep about a month refrigerated.
Fresh chestnuts can be frozen whole in their shells for a few months - three or four.

What can you do with chestnuts?  You can do so much: boil or roast for snacking, cook mix with vegetables to garnish poultry dishes.  Use them for stuffing the turkey, use them for soups and of course you can use them for a decadent chocolate chestnut cake.

To clean and open chestnut.

Place some chestnuts, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer for three minutes then remove from the heat.  Scoop out a few at a time and peel off the shell with a sharp knife.  As they cool, they become more difficult to peel, so keep them in hot water until you are ready to peel.

Clean the shell of chestnuts, and the chestnuts with skin

 To clean the membrane or skin of chestnuts.  Soak the shelled chestnuts  in hot water for 2 minutes
scoop some at a time, then peel off the layer/skin gently.

clean shelled, and skinned chestnuts are ready to cook for recipes.  

Cover and refrigerate and use it within a few days.

Boiled and Roasted Chestnuts.
Use a very sharp knife to slash the nuts before roasting or boiling.
To boil, cook them entirely in their skins, simmer for 18 minutes, then peel and use, but don't be disappointed if they fall apart; as you peel them.  This boil chestnuts are excellent to be pureed.

To roast chestnuts, make cuts or slash, they can explode from internal pressure if not pierced.  Bake in a hot oven 190 degrees C for 16 minutes.  Serve warm.

Boiled or roasted chestnuts are good for snacking, and it is fun to do.

Chestnuts to be continued.  Stay Tuned

Thanks For Stopping By

Susy