Make a slit in the skin of the chestnut and roast in a hot oven. Once cooked, and while the chestnuts are still hot, carefully peel the hard exterior shell and fine skin. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a clean tea towel. Remove the baking parchment from the base of the cooked meringue and allow to cool. Boil the chestnuts in plenty of water in two equal batches for 20 minutes. Take the first batch off the heat and leave them in the water to keep them hot. Don a rubber glove and remove one chestnut. Make a cut two thirds of the way around the flat face of the skin and peel it away then ease the rest of the nut out of the skin. If the chestnuts are fresh both the outer and the more troublesome inner skin will come away at the same time. Boil and peel the second batch. As liquorists, our job is to carefully select the best product, the best fruit. This, and then sublimate it in our liqueurs. No question of distorting the subtle taste of the chestnut! We therefore use the heart of the chestnut, to bring out to the maximum the autumn and gourmet notes, characteristics of this fruit. Because of their versatility, sweetness, and nutritious properties, chestnut nuts can be used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Chestnuts have a buttery, sweet flavor that is ideal for desserts such as chestnut pavlova and savory dishes such as porcini-chestnut soup, and they can be used to make a variety of dishes such as flour, candied, deep-fried, or puree. To ensure maximum sweetness, store your chestnut in a netted bag in a cool, dry place for a few days, allowing some of the starches to be converted to sugar. You can then swap out the nuts and enjoy a much sweeter nut that will go great with any dish. When you are looking for a tasty and versatile addition to your meal, don’t forget to include chestnut. The Natural Benefits Of Chestnut Extract

It is PDO thanks to its characteristics and taste, due exclusively to its terroir and the human and ancestral know-how of its region. The flavor of the chestnut we use has a strong link with its geographical origin. Thank you “Ardéchois” people! In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites using an electric hand whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar, a spoonful at a time. Whisk until very stiff and glossy and all the sugar has been added. Steve Kendall on Working hard on the cottage My heart sank when I read the words "put the cottage on the market", felt very sad for you. Our cottage too will become my wife's pension after I've g… Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 23x33cm/9x13in Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.

For the roulade, put the egg whites in a large, clean, dry mixing bowl and whisk using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the 175g sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, to make a stiff and glossy meringue. Whisk in the cornflour, then the vinegar.

Making chestnut extract is a relatively simple process. First, you will need some fresh chestnuts and a food processor. Start by shelling the chestnuts, then coarsely chopping them in the food processor until they are a paste-like consistency. Next, place the chestnut paste in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover the paste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 10 minutes. Strain the mixture to remove any large chunks, then pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Allow the extract to cool completely before using. You can store it in the refrigerator or a cool, dark place for up to a week. Enjoy your chestnut extract in baking, sauces, and other recipes for a unique nutty flavor. Place in a cool and dark spot, and give the jar a gentle roll every 2 days until it’s ready. It takes a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks. Taste as you go to ensure it’s to your liking. In a small saucepan, bring the demerara sugar and water to the boil. Simmer for two minutes then leave to cool.We make a wide range of fruit liqueurs every year but have never made a nut one. I was delighted to find this recipe for Italian sweet chestnut liqueur when I was nosing about on the Internet last week. Mine has been left for two weeks now and the flavour of the chestnuts is coming through nicely. The liqueur itself is a bit on the murky side but I can live with this, especially as it is used mostly in mixes. The chestnuts themselves taste rather splendid and you can take them out and eat them after a few weeks. There are two recipes: a more indulgent, creamy variety and a lighter version. Today we’re sharing both, but we can already imagine which one you’ll go for. The creamy, indulgent chestnut liqueur Ingredients Peeling chestnuts is one of those things that are good for your karma if you can get through the process without throwing things at the wall. The minimum requirement is a long radio play to keep you sane while you are doing it.

Boil the chestnuts until they become soft, then let them cool and peel them. Immerse them in the liquor and let them macerate while covered tightly for about 20 days. After this period, prepare a syrup by dissolving the sugar in boiling water. Let it cool, then add it to the filtered liquor. Either all or part of the chestnuts can be pureed and added to the liqueur to make it very creamy. The classic, lightweight chestnut liqueur Don’t discard the macerated chestnuts. They can be used in desserts or dehydrated and used as garnish. For the roulade, lightly butter and line a 23cm x 33cm swiss roll tin with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3.

An Excuse and an Experiment

Once it has cooled down, add the roast chestnuts to a glass jar, top with brandy, demerara syrup and the scraped vanilla bean. Close the lid tight and give the jar a gentle shake.

Fiona Nevile on Fiona’s traditional elderflower cordial recipe Hi Peta, Yes it does ferment a little = that is what you want. Simmering would kill the brew. Fiona Nevile on Working hard on the cottage Dear Veronica, So good to hear from you. I'd love to hear all your news - I often think about you and wonder how it's going for you both... Yes, it's…

In addition, our liqueur will bring to your kitchen a touch of originality and warmth, both for your sweet and savoury recipes. Veronica on Working hard on the cottage We are still happily settled in our little house in France, but have taken to spending a few months in Spain in the winter. At first we tried differen… The promise of this had Danny sitting, knife and chestnut in hand, for a good hour and a half last night. Shelling chestnuts is a bore. It’s fiddly. It’s very frustrating if you have bought a batch with a few bad ones as you can’t tell the state of the kernel within from the external appearance of the nut. But if you can tempt someone to help you, and have something distracting to listen to on the radio, it is well worth the effort. For the filling, whip the cream with the hazelnut liqueur and 1 tbsp icing sugar into soft, pillowy peaks. The cream should be spreadable but still hold its shape. Spread the cream over the roulade, leaving a 2.5cm strip along the long edge furthest from you. Spoon three quarters of the chilled purée in dollops over the surface of the cream and lightly marble together (see picture, top left). Scatter over the chopped chestnuts.