Here is some general advice for handling and preparing chestnuts, to get the best from them.
Fresh chestnuts are in season October, November and December. Look for heavy nuts with glossy, tight-fitting shells, free of blemishes, mold, and pinholes from weevils. Remember chestnuts are technically a fruit and not a nut, and should be refrigerated in perforated plastic bags to keep them moist and cool.
Uncooked, they keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Cooked nuts should be eaten within a day or two but can be stored in the freezer for several months. Dried uncooked nuts can be frozen for up to a year.
Though weight varies depending on the size of the nut, about 28 nuts in the shell equals 1 pound. One pound produces about 2 1/2cups of cooked chestnuts.
Chestnuts are encased in a mahogany-colored leathery shell with a bitter inside papery skin, called the pellicle. Both must be removed before eating.
Wash the nuts thoroughly, then score with a sharp knife, making an X on the flat side or cutting around the circumference of the nut. Scoring prevents nuts from exploding during cooked but take care not to cut yourself.
Aficionados use an inexpensive chestnut knife with a beak-shaped blade, or a more costly imported chestnut cutter, found in specialty food stores.
Once scored, the nuts are either boiled, roasted or pan-cooked. Some cooks cover the scored nuts with water and soak from 15 to 30 minutes before roasting so they stay moist and steam during roasting. Chestnuts can also be soaked in wine. Some Italians sprinkle the nuts with red wine during cooking or douse them at the end of roasting and let the wine evaporate.
Place the nuts in a 350-degree oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. When cooked, the top of the shell will peel back and the nutmeat will be tender when pierced with a thin skewer. Keep nuts warm, wrapped in a cloth, while you pull off the shell and remove the skin. (The pellicle is difficult to peel when the nut cools off.)
Wearing gloves or using a kitchen towel is helpful during peeling.
Place chestnuts in a frying pan and shake (as if you were making chestnut popcorn) for about 15 minutes or until the nuts open and the scored part of the shell peels back.
Place chestnuts in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil for 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and peel nuts, a few at a time. The nuts are then ready to cook further, according to your recipe.
To cook chestnuts by boiling them, continue to boil in their skins for about 15 minutes or more. Test for doneness with a thin skewer. The meat should be tender but not soggy or mushy. Peel and use as directed.
Chestnut puree, dried chestnuts, cooked and peeled chestnuts, and marrons glaces are available on the Web, by mail order, and in specialty food shops.
These products are expensive, but some cooks prefer the convenience of not having to peel or cook chestnuts. A 15-ounce jar of imported French cooked chestnuts typically costs about $12 in a specialty foods store.
When buying chestnuts, shop around for the freshest chestnuts and the best price and look for sales on canned products.
Fresh chestnuts vary in cost, depending on size, place of origin, and the merchant.
Italian chestnuts recently were selling in a Florida supermarket for $2.98 a pound. They were twice the price and not as fresh at a nearby competitor. The largest domestically grown nuts are averaging $5 a pound, according to Ladd Hill Orchards, in Sherwood, Ore.
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