Posts Tagged ‘how to roast chestnuts’

Best Chestnuts Foreign and Domestic

Roasted chestnuts have been a big part of Tretter family tradition for many decades. And though I knew we had some chestnut trees here in the US, almost every chestnut I’d had until this year came from Italy. That’s because American chestnut trees, billions of them that were a staple for both food and lumber, were decimated by an Asian blight beginning in the 1880’s (for more information, click this American Chestnut Foundation link) and therefore made US chestnuts hard to find, though there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel, as you’ll see below.

Regarding chestnuts from Italy, by far the most explosively flavorful Italian chestnuts I’ve ever had I found last winter in an Acme grocery store imported by Bella Vita (“beautiful life”) while visiting my stepmom in Greenwich, CT. Those chestnuts roasted so well, had such a comforting chewy texture and tasted so good that I had to call the company to let them know how much I liked them.

I called, and funny thing, Bella Vita is headquartered in Harrison, NY, and its smart, personable owner, Celso Paganini, lives within a half mile of where I grew up in that same Town of Harrison. You bet, small world. And, though those killer flavorful chestnuts are not yet available in North Carolina, something I hope we can change, please do look and ask for them if you live in the Northeast. They are well worth the effort and price.

Regarding the domestic bright light mentioned above, I just found an exceptionally rich resource of American-grown chestnuts available from early November to mid-December through Suttles Farm out of Pelzer, South Carolina. Those fresh-off-the-tree chestnuts, as with their other fresh nuts, come to Hickory, North Carolina, where I live, by the truck shown below staffed by Shane Stuart (great guy) and his team. I have to say, with decades of experience, those South Carolina chestnuts are the freshest, easiest peeling, and sweetest tasting chestnuts I’ve ever had. It turns out that American chestnuts, which are making a comeback and, as noted by the American Chestnut Foundation, are known for their smaller size and sweet flavor.

Like I mentioned in the last post, roasting chestnuts is very easy, especially in a toaster oven. Here’s all you need.

You can get complete picture book directions that show both how to roast chestnuts in a toaster oven or a standard kitchen oven by clicking this link or any picture on this page.

How to Roast Chestnuts in a Conventional Oven or Toaster Oven



Just seeing fresh chestnuts in the store at this time of year, which is a little tough where I now live in Hickory, NC, with one brilliant exception – more about that very soon – brings back vivid memories: from seeing and smelling them roast, or burn, on New York City sidewalks on bone cold winter nights to my dad roasting them in an electric pan and all of us cracking them open parked in front of a blazing fire in the living room when I was a much younger kid than I am now.

Roasting chestnuts is very easy, especially in a toaster oven, and well worth the flavor payoff. Here are some quick tips.

1. Select fresh chestnuts that are both heavier in weight and firm to the touch, not spongy. Also, give the chestnuts a quick look for small circular holes in their shell as any holes you find are a sure sign that pests have entered the nut.

Selecting Fresh Chestnuts2. Before roasting chestnuts, make sure to give them a good cross cut on both the top and bottom of the nut that penetrates the shell and thin membrane inside, as shown below. Making those cuts allows steam to escape as the chestnuts roast. Not making those cuts will allow trapped steam to build up inside the shell to the point of explosion – great, loud sound but annoying mess to clean up, which I DO know from experience.

Chestnut cross cut3. Here is all you need to roast chestnuts either in a toaster oven (more energy efficient) or conventional oven.

Needed to Roast Chestnuts

 

Click this link or any picture on this page for complete picture book directions – and enjoy!

Designed by Free Wordpress Themes and Sponsored by Curry and Spice