Simple and Lightened Chestnut Cream Dessert

Coupe Mont Blanc is a traditional winter dessert in France, using sweetened chestnut purée piped into a mound and topped with whipped cream, to resemble Mont Blanc topped with snow. These days though it is often presented in a simpler way, with the chestnut purée mixed or layered with the whipped cream and served in a small bowl. This is an extremely simple dessert, but very sweet and rich, so you only need a small quantity. 

Chestnut cream.

I prefer a version that is a bit lighter and retains a sharp lactic note to counteract the sugar, so I have modified the ingredient list, substituting cream cheese for the cream, and adding air with meringue.

Ingredients for chestnut cream -- sweetened chestnut purée, broken candied chestnuts, eggs and cream cheese.

 

Ingredients:
1 jar or can of sweetened chestnut purée
1 box of cream cheese
2 egg whites
3 tbsp sugar
A handful of marrons glacés (candied chestnut) bits

Method:

1. Tip the cream cheese into a bowl and beat until smooth.
2. Stir in the sweetened chestnut purée and then the chestnut bits.
3. Whip the egg whites until stiff, adding the sugar at the end.
4. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese / chestnut mixture.
5. Spoon into glasses and sprinkle with a few more chestnut bits.

Mixing the chestnut purée and the cream cheese.

Marrons glacés are considered a tremendous seasonal treat, with their distinctive mealy texture and caramelly sweetness. You can purchase them at great expense in fancy boxes like chocolates at Christmas time, or you can buy broken ones at slightly less expense, also packaged in fancy boxes. The best is if you can buy broken bits at half price from the post-Christmas excess confectionery shelves in the supermarket. 

Chestnut cream with bits of candied chestnut.

Yum

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