Chestnuts in Syrup

Marrons glacés, or candied chestnuts, are a great seasonal treat here. But they are also very expensive, so I decided to try my hand at making them at home.

I happened to have a bag of frozen chestnuts in the freezer, so I didn't have to spend the time peeling the blighters. I used these instructions from Not Quite Nigella to glacé my marrons.

The results were not up to a professional standard. My marrons are a sort of dull brown, not the rich chestnut that proper bought ones are. If you cut mine open, it is clear that the syrup has not penetrated very far.

However, they taste good and are ideal for using in chocolate petits fours or in chestnut cream (coupe mont blanc). I've chosen to keep them in the remaining syrup so they don't dry out, and drain them a few at a time, just  prior to use. Once the chestnuts themselves are gone, the syrup, which has a strong chestnut and vanilla flavour, will be used on icecream or other desserts. Yum!

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A la cuisine hier: Braised Beef with Carrots. Well, everyone else is cooking it at the moment, and I had all the ingredients.