Roasted chestnuts can be found at almost every Christmas market during Advent. If you don't want to wait that long for the little delicacies, you can roast chestnuts yourself at home as soon as the harvest begins in September.

Chestnuts can be roasted in the pan

Roast the chestnuts yourself

If you buy chestnuts, make sure that the outer shell of the fruit is shiny and not damaged. If small holes are visible, it may be that maggots have already nested. Before you prepare the chestnuts, you should do a second quality test. Place the chestnuts in a bowl of cold water. All the chestnuts floating on top are bad and can be removed immediately.
Now dry the chestnuts and start preparing for the roasting. You can choose between two options, pan or oven.

Roast the chestnuts in the oven

  1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees circulating air (200 degrees top/bottom heat).
  2. Place a small saucepan of water in the oven. In this way, the chestnuts do not dry out during the roasting process.
  3. Cut off the pointed ends of the chestnuts.
  4. Using a sharp knife, carve the chestnuts deeply on the curved side of the belly. The shell must be severed, as must the underlying brown skin.
  5. Place the chestnuts cut side up on the baking sheet and place in the oven.
  6. Roast the chestnuts for about 25 minutes. They're done when a sweet, nutty smell develops.
  7. Take the chestnuts on the stove. The indentation should be wide open.
  8. Peel your chestnuts and enjoy.

Roast the chestnuts in the pan

  1. Prepare the chestnuts as described.
  2. Heat a pan on the stove. A coated or cast-iron pan is best.
  3. Once the pan is very hot, add the chestnuts.
  4. Reduce the heat to a medium level. If the heat is too high, the chestnuts will harden.
  5. Put a lid on and roast the chestnuts for about 20 minutes, turning them several times.
  6. Peel the chestnuts once they are cooked through.
  7. The chestnuts get a particularly delicious aroma if you put the peeled fruit back into the pan and caramelize them with sugar and butter over a low heat.

Possible uses for roasted chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts are an ideal companion for the winter kitchen. With their sweet and nutty taste, they give roast goose or venison a very special aroma.
The chestnuts are also convincing as a starter in the form of the classic chestnut cream soup. For dessert you should try a chestnut crème brûlée or a chocolate cream with pureed chestnuts.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Trees