Chestnuts The Chestnut season here in NSW has begun. I was able to get some last week from Batlow. Chestnuts are ground harvested, Luck too as there are trees in Victoria that are 120 years old and 60m tall. They have an amazingly sharp case that looks like an echidna with very sharp fine needles.. Chestnuts are swept up by brushes then the nuts are taken out of the case to send to the market. Chestnuts have two skins a hard outer shell then a thin inner skin. They can be roasted in the oven, on the BBQ or boiled for puree. Make sure you cut a slit in the outer shell before cooking to stop them from exploding and this also opens up when roasted to help peel them. They are easiest to peel while still warm.
I found a nice recipe for a chestnut & apple soup. Sweat off 1 small brown onion, a stick of celery, a tsp of garlic, add 1 cup of peeled chestnuts (boiled), with 1 lt of beef stock. Simmer for 30 minutes then puree. Add one cup of cream heat and season, serve with some nice butter croutons.
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