Chestnut Cream
Known in French as “crème de marrons”, chestnut cream is the ultimate Christmas comfort food in France. Sweet, creamy and nutty, kids and adults enjoy this golden spread on toasts, waffles, crêpes, or stirred into yogurts. It is also the star ingredients of some classic French desserts, like the fancy Mont Blanc or simpler Gâteau Ardéchois (Chestnut Cream Cake). Chestnut cream is sold in tubes or cans in France and can be found in most grocery stores. But for those in the US or Canada who can’t find it that…
- Prep time
- 6 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lbs (0.9kg) chestnuts, whole
- 1 ¼ (250g) sugar 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- 1
Score your chestnuts with an “X”, deep enough to cut through the outer skin and transfer the chestnuts to a pot of cold water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the water (keep the pot full of water, but turn off the heat) and peel the chestnuts.
- 2
Transfer the chestnuts back into the big pot and ensure they are covered with about an inch of water (dispose of the “unnecessary” hot water that’s left in the pot). Bring the water back to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes (until the chestnuts are very tender when poked with a fork). Drain the chestnuts and dispose of all the remaining water.
- 3
In a separate pan, combine sugar and water on medium-low heat, and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
- 4
In a food processor, puree the chestnuts with ¼ cup of the sugar liquid (made above) until smooth.
- 5
Transfer the chestnut puree into a pot, and add all the rest of the sugar liquid. Add the vanilla extract and salt. On low heat, cook for 1-2 minutes, until the puree thickens and holds to your spoon (it thickens fast!).
- 6
Keep the chestnut spread in a mason jar (or jam jar), in the fridge, for up to 5 days.