Chestnut

About

Chestnuts are one of the sweeter nuts, like pine nuts and cashews, but unusually low in fat. Roasting, traditionally over an open fire, brings out their full sweetness and flavor. Their earthy quality pairs well with other autumnal flavors such as game, mushrooms, and apples. Chestnuts can be ground into flour for rustic bread, pasta, and cakes, or cooked down into purées and candied marrons glacés; a chestnut liqueur, crème de châtaigne, is also made from them.

Pairs well with chestnut

• RoChocolateChestnut and chocolate combine in desserts such as chestnut ice cream coated in grated chocolate, a simple chocolate sauce served over…
• EaMushroomChestnuts and mushrooms have a natural affinity, partly because mushrooms often grow symbiotically near chestnut trees in the wild.
• MePorkChestnut purée is a classic accompaniment to pork sausages, made by softening peeled roasted chestnuts in butter, wine, and stock, then…
• MeChickenChestnuts' soft, mild sweetness makes a good base for pairing with more strongly flavored poultry - most often game birds like goose or…
• MeLambChestnuts work as a milder, less sweet alternative to dried fruits like apricots or prunes in North African lamb stews and tagines;…
• EaCeleryFinely diced celery is a recommended pairing for chestnuts in soup, both for flavor compatibility and because the two ingredients have…
• BeRosemaryCastagnaccio, a rustic Tuscan cake, is traditionally made from just chestnut flour, olive oil, water, and salt, sometimes with rosemary,…
• SuCabbageBoth require some preparation, scoring sprouts, venting chestnuts before roasting, and pair well together, whether as sprouts with…
• FrPearLeftover roasted chestnuts pair well with chopped pear, dark turkey meat, and leafy greens in a simple salad, a good way to use up…
• BrProsciuttoParma ham pigs are often raised partly on chestnuts, making roasted chestnuts a natural late-autumn pairing with cured ham, when the fruit…
• WoButternut SquashA good winter pairing, used in wild rice pilaf and found together in the Potimarron, a French heirloom squash with a naturally…