chestnuts-msg – 12/17/10 Medieval harvesting and use of chestnuts. Roasting. Recipes. NOTE: See also the files: nuts-msg, soup-msg, flour-msg, almond-milk-msg, hais-msg, comfits-msg, almond-cream-msg, Pynade-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Tue, 07 Oct 1997 22:44:52 -0500 From: Maddie Teller-Kook Subject: Re: SC - Chestnuts Roasting on an... Bronwynmgn at aol.com wrote: > My lord and I were given a large bag of chestnuts straight from the tree this > evening. We have no idea what to do with them. Any suggestions? Are there > any period recipes in which chestnuts are appropriate, and does anyone know > how to roast them? > Brangwayna Morgan I just got Terence Scully's "Early French Cooking". There is a recipe for a stuffed pork roast. The stuffing consists of pears, chestnuts, buttery cheese and seasonings. Looks delicious. I plan to make it for a dinner in a few weeks. Let ya know how it goes. meadhbh Date: Wed, 8 Oct 97 05:05:29 UT From: "Paul Louis" Subject: RE: SC - Chestnuts Roasting on an... To roast chestnuts in any kind of quantity, 1st , slice an *x* in the tops where they are lighter brown. You are cutting through the shell layer in order to keep the chestnut from exploding when they are roasted. place them on a sheet tray, and roast in a 375 oven till they open . approx. 10 min. I like mine with a pinch of salt , other of my friends like them with butter...... Recipies I have played around with include, chestnut ice-cream, using the roasted chestnuts ground up when baking rye bread, and tossed in a bitter greens salad with a cranberry vinigrette. Olga Date: Wed, 08 Oct 1997 12:23:41 -0400 From: marilyn traber Subject: Re: SC - Chestnuts Roasting on an... > My lord and I were given a large bag of chestnuts straight from the tree this > evening. We have no idea what to do with them. Any suggestions? Are there > any period recipes in which chestnuts are appropriate, and does anyone > know how to roast them? > Brangwayna Morgan Take them, cut a small x over the odd patch where they were attatched to the stem, pop them into boiling water for about 5 minutes or put them into a mesh fireplace popcorn popper over good hot coals for about 5 minutes, shaking frequently or spread them on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 5 mintues. These will loosen the husk and when cooled allow you to peel them. Take the chestnut meats, place into honey and water, poach until soft, then remove and puree, add spices and a dab of honey and fill small pastrys or creme puffs with the goo. If you take the meats, dunk in honey and do the honey roast/fry thing, they are good rolled in coarsely chopped raw almonds as a taste and texture contrast. take the softened chestnuts and coat liberally with buttercream candy mix[1bag 10x sugar, a flavor extract, enough melted butter to make a stiff paste] and let the shell harden, they are called nipples of venus margali Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 23:35:54 -0400 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - interesting URL - food shopping! > I've found a lovely site that has chestnut flour. > Any ideas what to do with it? > www.ethnicgrocer.com > > Diana d'Avignon There's a northern Italian um, I don't know what to call it... a gateau, perhaps. A big flat cake, or maybe an enormous cookie, made with chestnut flour and pignoles. Castignacci? I'll have to take a bit to look up details. Adamantius Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 12:35:29 EDT From: DeSevyngy at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - interesting URL - food shopping! << > Diana wrote: > I've found a lovely site that has chestnut flour. > Any ideas what to do with it? Adamantius responded: << There's a northern Italian um, I don't know what to call it... a gateau, perhaps. A big flat cake, or maybe an enormous cookie, made with chestnut flour and pignoles. Castignacci? I'll have to take a bit to look up details. >> It is, in fact, called Castagnaccio, and resembles the funny cakelike bar cookies that my mom was so fond of making when I was a kid. I found out later, she didn't have the patience to spoon out individual cookies and keep an eye out the window while I was out inventing tackle-asphault-baseball and games of the kind, so all the dough went in a big pan! This recipe that I share below is from one of Lorenza de'Medici cookbooks. While the printing of this recipe is decidedly OOP, the root recipe is a period one. I do recall several years ago (maybe a decade), seeing this recipe in a period source book and recalling that is was pretty much identical to the one I had in Lorenza's book. Unfortunately, this was at a time when my only interest in the SCA was fighting, hence, I neglected to even write down the name of the source. Bad Isabeau, no biscuit. At any rate, the full recipe and authors comments are below. I have made this recipe several times (every time I have chestnut flour) and it is fabulous. If you plan on serving it at a feast, I strongly suggest that you serve it at lunch, freshly out of the oven. It definately get heavy and a bit greasy when let to sit too long. Also, this recipe for 6 calls for an 11-in non-springform tart pan, although I now have one especially for this cake, I used a glass 9x13in casserole pan for years with no ill effect to the texture or baking time of the cake. Hmm, a dear friend of mine is going to be the chef at our Baronies annual winter formal feast next year. I wonder if I can bribe her into putting this cake on the menu?!? Isabeau _________________________________ Castagnaccio chestnut cake This is an ancient and very popular cake recipe. Castagnaccio is often sold in the streets of Florence during autumn and early winter. It is best when freshly made, and should be served warm. _________________________________ 1/4 cup (1oz/30g) raisins 3 cups (12oz/375g) chestnut flour 2 1/2 cups (20 fl oz/600ml) water 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt 1/4 cup (1 1/2oz/45g) pine nuts 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped + Soak the raisins in water to cover for 1 hour. + In a bowl, mix the flour, water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the salt to form a creamy dough. + Add 3 tablespoons pine nuts and the rosemary. + Preheat oven to 450*F (230*C). Pour the remaining oil into an 11-in (27-cm) tart pan (do not use a pan with removable bottom) and add the dough. Do not pour off excess oil. + Drain the raisins. Sprinkle the dough with the raisins and the remaining pine nuts. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the surface of the castagnaccio begins to crack. + Pour off the excess oil. Remove castagnaccio from the pan and serve warm. __________________________________ serves 6 __________________________________ HL Isabeau de Sevyngy Squired to Sir Sakura kita no Maikeru Shire of Gryphon's Lair Artemisia Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2000 23:32:12 -0700 From: "David Dendy" Subject: Re: SC - Help!!!! >I am in serious need of some information. I am cooking that Oriental >feast weekend after next (9/23) and am in need of several ingredients >which I cannot seem to locate. I hope some one of you will know where I >can find them: >[snip] > Chestnuts Chestnuts can usually be had, in dried form, in Italian groceries. Francesco Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 10:08:27 -0400 From: margali To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Southern California Chestnut resource? They do make a commercial chestnut paste - http://causses-cevennes.com/produits/Verfeuille2-UK.htm my favorite brand. I like the glass jars. margali [and the ones soaked in brandy are a great secret ingredient for stuffing ;-)] From: lilinah at earthlink.net Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 17:47:49 -0700 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Southern California Chestnut resource? >Where in southern California would you find chestnuts this time of year? >Magnus Grehatta is doing a recipe for the Talanque Tourney this weekend >that requires a chestnut paste, and we can't seem to find chestnuts. > >Surely there is an ethnic grocery or some little place that caters to >little old ladies that would have such a thing! So far the local British >food shops have been scoured, the natural food shops, the weird food shops, >and nobody has chestnuts. Water chesnuts they have aplenty, but not just >plain old regular chestnuts!! > >Maggie MacD. French. French. French. Chestnut paste is used in the making of a dessert called a Mont Blanc. There's a brand in a can - white with brown chestnuts and green leaves on it - i think it's Clement Faugier. Look in the gourmet aisle of a good supermarket or in a gourmet shop. Shouldn't be that hard to find... Anahita From: lilinah at earthlink.net Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 19:03:28 -0700 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Southern California Chestnut resource? >The chestnut stuff that the cook needs has to be sugar free, so the >packaged pastes won't work in this particular case. Probably won't be useful to you, but for anyone else... Clement Faugier make several types of packaged chestnut thingies. There are "marrons glaces", which are whole chestnuts cooked in and packaged in sugar syrup. They're often in a glass jar so you can appreciate how much like miniature pickled brains they look. Then there are cans of chestnut puree and chestnut paste. One has sugar. The other is unsweetened. But i forget which. I think they also make chocolate-covered marrons glacees. So if anyone else needs unsweetened chestnut paste, you might be able to use this. All the Japanese chestnut pastes i've seen are pre-sweetened. Anahita Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 09:54:39 -0500 (CDT) From: "Pixel, Queen of Cats" To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Southern California Chestnut resource? On Mon, 18 Jun 2001, margali wrote: > They do make a commercial chestnut paste - > > http://causses-cevennes.com/produits/Verfeuille2-UK.htm > my favorite brand. I like the glass jars. > > margali http://coenzymedesign.com/portfolio/chestnut/catalog.htm They have chestnut paste, and they're in CA. ;-) Margaret FitzWilliam Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 10:52:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Huette von Ahrens Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Southern California Chestnut resource? To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Also, the French word for Chestnut is Marron. Sometimes it is called Pate de Marron, or something similar. Huette Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2003 18:03:27 -0400 Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] chestnuts From: David Tallan To: SCA-Cooks One possibility is the Viandier's "Soutil brouet d'Angleterre" (Subtle English Browet): Grind together chestnuts that have been cooked and peeled, egg yolks cooked in wine, and a little pork liver, moisten this with a little warm water, and strain it; grind ginger, [cinnamon,] cloves, [long pepper, grains of paradise, galingale, spikenard,] and saffron for colour, and boil everything together. (Scully translation no. 24, [] indicates material not in Vatican manuscript, but in one or more of the others). There are a number of other version of this recipe, The Menagier de Paris has it (p. M-20 in the Hinson translation). The Vivendier has it (recipe 23, p. 50 in the Scully translation). Trait de Cuisine has it (p. T-2 in the Hinson translation) I'm not sure who all has redacted it. I know that Anne Willan has in: Willan, Anne. Great Cooks And Their Recipes From Taillevent to Escoffier. (Little Brown and Company) 1992. I hope that this helps, David Tallan (Thomas) On 4/17/03 2:29 PM, "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" wrote: >>> I was in Cost Plus the other day, and they had pound jars of peeled chestnuts so I bought a couple. Now what do I do with them? What did they do with them in period? Margaret <<< Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 13:55:53 -0400 From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts Chestnuts Everywhere To: Barbara Benson , Cooks within the SCA > Being that chestnuts when purchased are very expensive I thought I > would at least try to do something with this literal windfall. I know > that they are a period nut and I have found some interesting info in > the Florithingie - albeit some of it quite dated. Pleyn Delight, I believe, has a recipe for turnips with chestnuts. It didn't turn out the way we wanted it when we tried it, but I think we probably could have gotten something we liked better had we had a lot of chestnuts to experiment with. -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 14:14:44 -0400 From: Daniel Myers Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts Chestnuts Everywhere To: Barbara Benson , Cooks within the SCA On Sep 20, 2004, at 1:49 PM, Barbara Benson wrote: > So, if anyone has any interesting, period references to chestnuts to > share I would love to accumulate some recipes (read: as many as > possible). From all different time periods and cultures. Here are a few from a quick search ... From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) Venison of Deer or Other Beast, If you wish to salt it in summer, it is appropriate to salt it in a wash-tub or bath, ground coarse salt, and after dry it in the sun. Haunch, that is the rump, which is salted, should be cooked first in water and wine for the first boiling to draw out the salt: and then throw out the water and wine, and after put to partly cook in a bouillon of meat and turnips, and serve in slices with some of the liquid in a dish and venison. Item, if you have small young turnips, you should cook it in water and without wine for the first boiling, then throw out the water, and then partly cook in water and wine and with sweet chestnuts, or if you have no chestnuts, some sage: then serve as above. From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) Subtle Broth from England. Take cooked peeled sweet chestnuts, and as many or more hard-boiled egg yolks and pork liver: grind all together, mix with warm water, then put through a sieve; then grind ginger, cinnamon, clove, grain, long pepper, galingale and saffron to give it color and set to boil together. From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) Stuffed Piglet. Have the piglet killed and its throat cut and let it be scalded in boiling water, then skinned: then take some lean pork, and remove the fat and innards of the piglet and put it on to cook in water, and take twenty eggs and cook them hard, and some sweet chestnuts cooked in water and peeled: then take the egg yolks, sweet chestnuts, fine old cheese, and the cooked meat of a leg of pork, and chop it up, then grind with saffron and a large amount of powdered ginger mixed in with the meat; and if your meat is too hard, mix in egg yolks. And do not split open your piglet's stomach but cut the smallest hole possible: then put it on the spit, and then push your stuffing inside, and sew it up with a large needle; and it should be eaten either with yellow pepper if it is winter, or with a cameline sauce if it is summer. From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) RISSOLES ON A FISH DAY. Cook chestnuts on a low fire and peel them, and have hard-cooked eggs and peeled cheese and chop it all up small; then pour on egg yolks, and mix in powdered herbs and a very little free-running salt, and make your rissoles, then fry in lots of oil and add sugar. And note, in Lent, instead of eggs and cheese, put in cooked whiting and sciaena, chopped very small, or the flesh of pike or eels, and chopped figs and dates. From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) A MUST SAUCE (for Starlings? don't think so: JH). Take new black grapes, and squish them in the mortar, and boil up a bouillon, then strain through a sieve: and then throw on powdered spices, a little ginger and more cinnamon, or cinnamon alone for it is better, and stir a little with a silver spoon, and throw in crusts or toasted bread or eggs or chestnuts to thicken it: some red sugar, and serve. From: Le Menagier de Paris (Janet Hinson, trans.) TO MAKE A BOAR INTO A GOOD PIG. Take a boar of two years old or thereabouts, and in May or June castrate him, and in boar-hunting season hunt it down, singe it and butcher it like a boar. Or else thus: take some tame pig which may be scalded, and cook it in half water half wine, and serve in a dish of this stew, turnips and chestnuts and the meat. From: Le Viandier de Taillevent (James Prescott, trans.) Subtle English soup. Take cooked peeled chestnuts, egg yolks cooked in wine, and a bit of pork liver. Crush everything together, soak with a bit of lukewarm water, and sieve. Grind ginger, cloves and saffron (to give colour), and boil together. From: Le Viandier de Taillevent (James Prescott, trans.) Stuffed piglet or pig. Scald it, wash it well, and put it on the spit. The stuffing is made of pork pluck, cooked pork meat, some egg yolks, harvest cheese, cooked peeled chestnuts and good Spice Powder. Put everything in the piglet's belly, stitch up the slit, and put it to roast. Baste it with a spoon, while turning the roast, with vinegar and good boiling drippings. Eat it hot with Yellow Pepper [Sauce]. Some lazy persons eat it with Cameline [Sauce]. - Doc -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Edouard Halidai (Daniel Myers) Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 19:36:06 -0700 (PDT) From: R J Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts Chestnuts Everywhere To: Barbara Benson , Cooks within the SCA Congrats on the new home! I would like to request that you contact your local agricultural co-op extension, there is one in every county. The reason I mention this is that there are edible chestnuts, and some that aren't meant to be food. The ag-extension people ought to be able to help you verify whether yours are "food" or not. If they are food, I rather like to use a fake fingernail from a halloween store to help me pick the annoying fuzz off. They can be canned or frozen, whole, in chunks, or even in a meal. Of course, they are also reputed to be pretty dang good pig food, so you can always look for pork recipes instead! All the best, AEsa Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 05:07:13 -0500 From: "Terri Morgan" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts - Revisited To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" We roasted some (quite by accident, at first) at a demo that we attend every year. Our firepit was close enough to a massive tree that a few chestnuts made their way into the coals. They were quite tasty - but before we learned that, we were dodging chestnut-missiles as they exploded from the firebed. As far as I can tell, so long as they are relatively fresh, the moisture inside of them is going to be enough to pop the shell open for you (this might be why some recipes call for soaking them) and propel them with some force. Make sure you have a covered pan that can release steam (we used a popcorn-popping cast iron pan) and I hope your family enjoys the experience. The taste is wonderful and for all that few of us had ever eaten "chestnuts roasted on an open fire", we all agreed that somehow it touched a mutual memory-chord. Hrothny Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2005 06:35:56 -0800 From: elisabetta at klotz.org Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Chestnuts - Revisited To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Please, share your experiences and insights in roasting chestnuts. > I would so appreciate it. Thank you. > > Molli Rose We "x" them and soak them. The "x" is not just so they won't explode due to steam, but also because it is much easier to peel them. Most of the chestnuts get boiled for the turkey stuffing, but a few get taken out of the water and thrown into a pan and baked in the oven with the turkey until they smell done, about 10 minutes. I highly recommend "x"ing them instead of just pricking, but since most of ours are boiled, I'm not sure if the "x" will affect the roasting process. Elisabetta Date: Fri, 02 Dec 2005 09:44:35 -0500 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts - Revisited To: Cooks within the SCA Okay, so what do people do with chestnuts? Apart from the usual roasted, or in stuffing? I believe there's a brewet in either Taillevent or le Menagier (but called "English") that calls for them, as well as some 14th-century English recipes. I STR there's a recipe in Apicius that uses them in a lentil dish that I liked. More recently there's a modern Italian cake that involves baking sweetened puree with pine nuts (I wanna say it's called castignacci, but I'm not sure this is an accurate memory, and my books are all over the place -- I mean big-time -- at the moment while we rearrange furniture yet again). This might easily be period, although I have no direct evidence, and it's been alleged that the modern French Mont Blanc aux marrons has period Italian forebears. This last is basically a mound of milled or "riced" chestnut puree, sweetened and flavored with vanilla, then coated with whipped cream. Oddly enough it also sometimes turns up on the menus of the finer Chinese restaurants (usually without the whipped cream), and chestnuts also appear in the fillings of various steamed rice dumplings roughly corresponding to tamales. Then there are candied chestnuts (not my fave), and chestnut flour sometimes turns up around Passover one of the primary baking starches for flourless cakes. Chestnut ice cream is good, too, and I assume one could make a sort of sweet-potato pie thingy with them, too. Polenta. What have I left out? Adamantius Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 12:58:42 -0500 From: ranvaig at columbus.rr.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts - Revisited To: Cooks within the SCA > Please, share your experiences and insights in roasting chestnuts. > I would so appreciate it. I've roasted them in the oven with an X cut into them.. but never knew it was supposed to be a the pointed end. I'd recommend that you NOT roast all three pounds at once, they are much easier to shell when they are hot. Start with a small batch and figure out the best method and how fast you can shell them. To my mind the best thing would be to just eat them out of the shell while still hot. Ranvaig Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:14:51 -0800 (PST) From: Honour Horne-Jaruk Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 31, Issue 3 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Please, share your experiences and insights in > roasting chestnuts. > > Molli Rose Respected friend: Chestnuts roasting in the microwave... Only way to go. Score, time one minute for four chestnuts and adjust as your power of microwave requires. I've never found any other method even half so easy or tasty. -They're also fun to watch; they spin around as the steam escapes. Yours in service to both the Societies of which I am a member- (Friend) Honour Horne-Jaruk, R.S.F. Alisond de Brebeuf, C.O.L. S.C.A.- AKA Una the wisewoman, or That Pict Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:02:18 -0500 From: "marilyn traber 011221" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Roasting chestnuts To: Robin Carroll-Mann , Cooks within the SCA > If I can find some at a decent price, I want to serve some roasted > chestnuts for an upcoming dayboard. I've never roasted them before, > but the instructions for oven-roasting seem fairly straightforward -- > slash shells, 400 oven, remove when done. I will probably buy them > in advance and freeze them. I have two main questions: > 1. can I do the slashing the day before, in order to save > preparation time on the morning of the event? Yep. Shouldn't be a problem. > 2. how long after roasting do the chestnuts remain edible? Will > they hold well (perhaps in insulated bags, or do they really need to > be made just before eating? > > Thanks in advance. > > Brighid ni Chiarain > Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom They tend to hold pretty well- if you roasted them the day before, and served them for the day board, they'd be fine. Trouble is, they TASTE better hot, on the order of, bread is good, but freshly baked bread is better. They're also easier to peel if they're hot, or at least warm. Phlip Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:42:21 -0500 From: "Sharon Gordon" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Roasting chestnuts To: "Robin Carroll-Mann" , "Cooks within the SCA" In addition to other posted info, Williams-Sonoma has a chestnut cutter that makes the slashing much faster and safer to your fingers. If the link breaks, search on Chestnutter http://ww1.williams-sonoma.com//cat/pip.cfm? skus=7314909&cat=46&pgid=sku7081235&cmsrc=rel&src=pipgsku7081235|k| pxsrd0m1\p15\p0\p\p\p\p\p\pchestnut|s7081235&lid=1&src=pipgsku7081235% 7Ck%7Cpxsrd0m1%5Cp15%5Cp0%5Cp%5Cp%5Cp%5Cp%5Cp%5Cpchestnut%7Cs7081235 Sharon gordonse at one.net Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 10:49:52 -0800 From: elisabetta at klotz.org Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Roasting chestnuts To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > If I can find some at a decent price, I want to serve some roasted > chestnuts for an upcoming dayboard. I've never roasted them before, > but the instructions for oven-roasting seem fairly straightforward -- > slash shells, 400 oven, remove when done. I will probably buy them > in advance and freeze them. I have two main questions: > 1. can I do the slashing the day before, in order to save preparation > time on the morning of the event? > 2. how long after roasting do the chestnuts remain edible? Will they > hold well (perhaps in insulated bags, or do they really need to be > made just before eating? > > Brighid ni Chiarain > Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom You can also slash the shells and soak them in water overnight before roasting. I have a large (4 qt) and small (1 qt) slow cooker, as well as a chafing dish (2 qt?)and sterno, if you would like to borrow them to keep the chestnuts warm for dayboard. Elisabetta Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 10:54:28 -0800 (PST) From: Carole Smith Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Roasting chestnuts To: Robin Carroll-Mann , Cooks within the SCA One concern with chestnuts is that they burn easily, so it's good to keep them moving by shaking the pan frequently when you are roasting them. I believe that's why many suggest you soak them in water first. Cordelia Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 22:13:18 -0500 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Roasting chestnuts To: Cooks within the SCA What an odd little device! An enclosed Chestnutter that makes a perfect "X" through the outer shell and inner skin, which then loosen during roasting. Here are some reasons to use one-- http://www.chestnutter.com/ Better yet are the reasons given here. It reads: " I can agree completely with this guy from Gizmodo. Chestnut scoring, preparation, whatever you call it is indeed DANGEROUS. Watch your fingers, your arteries, you name it - you will be hurt one time or another. Luckily this little contraption can help you in the kitchen over the next 2 holidays AT LEAST! " http://www.kitchencontraptions.com/archives/000713.php Johnnae Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 06:35:45 -0800 From: elisabetta at klotz.org Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: chestnutter [was Roasting chestnuts] To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Am Montag, 12. Dezember 2005 18:36 schrieb Susan Fox: >> Boo hisssssss! Unitasker! >> >> Ok then, what other use would this utensil have, in or out of the >> kitchen? Wow, I'm guessing that you never spent hours "x"ing chestnuts as a child and teenager. It takes a lot of time to "x" chestnuts. You have to be careful, and work slowly. They're yummy, but very, very time consuming in the preparation. I have e-mailed this link to my family, and suspect we will be using it next year.... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 15:25:37 -0500 From: Lee Sebastiani Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Chestnutter To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Bought one--it fell apart the first time I used it. (Of course, a more expensive quality cutter may work well.) Now I use a small, stubby paring knife and wear a thick oven mitt on my left hand (in case of knife slippage). --Adela de Shea Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:49:21 -0500 From: "Daniel Phelps" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] chestnut cream To: "Cooks within the SCA" Aislinn/AEscwynn wrote: <<< I found a can of chestnut cream imported from France in my local discount store for fifty cents, so I couldn't pass it up. From the description of the can, it appears to be almost a syrup. Is there anything medieval I can use this with/on/in? Are chestnuts new world? >>> Latin Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. Spanish Castana French Chataigne German Kastanie Swedish Kastanje Arabic Kastana Dutch Kastanje Italian Castagna Portuguese Castanha Russian Kashtan Japanese Kuri Chinese Pan Li The American chestnut is native to the United States east of the Mississippi River. The Chinese chestnut is C. mollissima, the Japanese C. crenata. The European C. sativa. is also known as the sweet English chestnut, the Spanish chestnut and the French chestnut. The ancient Latin name of the genus, Castanea is said to have come from Kastanea, a city in Pontus, Asia Minor or from a town of the same name in Thessaly, Greece, where chestnuts were first introduced into Europe. Xenophon, a Greek historian of the fourth century B.C. state that the children of Persian nobility were fattened on chestnuts. Dioscorides in the first century A.D. called the chestnut the Sardis nut, since the best came to Greece from Sardis in Asia Minor. The Romans took the chestnut to France and Britain as a flour made from ground chestnuts provided a staple for the Roman legions. Tis mentioned in Shakespeare's the Taming of the Shrew. All of this from "The Book of Edible Nuts". Daniel Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:52:18 -0500 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] chestnut cream To: hlaislinn at earthlink.net, Cooks within the SCA On Dec 15, 2006, at 9:39 AM, Stephanie Ross wrote: > I found a can of chestnut cream imported from France in my local discount > store for fifty cents, so I couldn't pass it up. From the description of > the can, it appears to be almost a syrup. Many French products are subject to strict "standards of identity": chestnuts have to be chestnuts, chestnut paste must be a certain percentage of chestnuts, and chestnut cream (if anything like the same deal as for, say, truffles or anchovies) must be a certain, presumably lower, percentage of chestnuts, if it is to be labeled that way. Is the stuff actually a liquid? I'm assuming it's more of a puree sweetened with sugar or a syrup, in which case it sounds pretty much like Mont Blanc in a can. The standard presentation would be to pile it attractively high on a platter and cover it with whipped cream. You could probably also use it to fill little tartlets or something like that. > Is there anything medieval I can > use this with/on/in? Are chestnuts new world? If it really is a sweetened puree, that probably limits its medieval applications; the medieval recipes I'm most familiar with for chestnuts aren't for sweets. Chestnuts are period for Europe and Asia, though, as far as I know. Adamantius Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:19:04 -0400 From: silverr0se at aol.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] 15th C. Ottoman Bulghur w/Chestnuts To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org >> Chestnuts - Again, i know you and i are working blind, pretty much, but i'm asking for non-Ottoman food experiences... I could just stir roasted and peeled chestnuts into the cooked bulghur. But i figure the chestnuts would be more tender if i simmer them in broth after peeling them, then stir them into the bulghur. (i may be able to get packs of peeled chestnuts which will save wear and blistering on my fingers) Any opinions?<< Chesnuts do not stay fresh for very long once they are peeled, so I would be careful with pre-peeled ones. When roasting your own, if you throw a kitchen towel soaked in ice- water over them the minute they come out of the oven then, when they have cooled and you go to peel them, the shell and that nasty little skin inside come right off. No blisters. Renata Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:30:38 +0000 From: "Olwen the Odd" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] 15th C. Ottoman Bulghur w/Chestnuts To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org Actually, I buy cooked, peeled chestnuts by the bag at local oriental markets for .99 cents a bag. Olwen Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 10:19:24 -0400 (GMT-04:00) From: Christiane Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Chestnuts To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org Stefan says: Gianotta asked about chestnuts: <<< This past Saturday I dragged my mom to the local H&Y food market. My main objective was Pocky, but I also picked up a bag of dried chestnuts. The intent is to make a Tuscan chestnut and rice soup (chopped, sauteed chestnuts, arborio rice, onions, chicken stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper). But what are your favorite period entree recipes with chestnuts? What are your favorite non-period chestnut dishes? Another question: Can you make chestnut flour from dried chestnuts, or are they too hard to run through a food processor?>>> I looked at what was in the Florilegium; but what I would like to find out from folks is what recipes they have had particular success with and they find particularly yummy. The soup recipe I got out of a book on Tuscan cooking and it looked tasty, but I don't know if it was period (it could have been, but it may not have been the food of the upper classes). I did find an OOP chestnut soup recipe from the Piedmont, published in 1766 according to the reference. I have also found a chestnut and pasta recipe (make a very liquid puree of the chestnuts and cook the pasta in it; seasonings are olive oil and freshly ground pepper). Dried chestnuts are like dried beans in that they have to be rehydrated by soaking and then boiled to tenderness, I have found out. Then they can be used like roasted fresh ones. I also found some mention that dried chestnuts can me made into flour using a food processor. That's handy to know, because I've found a couple of Asian markets in my area that sell dried chestnuts but getting chestnut flour would entail mail order. Gianotta Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2009 10:44:00 -0400 From: Jenn Strobel Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] newbee cook attempting feast for the first time in To: Cooks within the SCA A caution about cooking with chestnuts in the form of a short story. Two years ago, I served Chestnuts at a feast. In order to peel the chestnuts, you need to cut an "X" on the bottom and then boil them. You can peel them pretty easily when they're hot but as they cool, they become harder and harder to peel. At one point, nine people were drafted to peel chestnuts and it did get done. I think that I thanked people for a solid hour because when I tested things at home, peeling two cups of chestnuts didn't take the effort of peeling about 10 cups of chestnuts cooked in two batches took. The chestnuts were delicious and everyone loved them, but I would never again do chestnuts without shelling them well in advance. Because I have to learn things the hard way so others don't have to :-) Odriana Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:10:19 -0700 From: Susan Lin To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] glace chestnuts I have not done any research as to whether they are period but I like to think that this is a preservation method that might be close. I did not use a recipe but this is what I did: I made a simple syrup of half sugar and half water. Peeled the chestnuts - I think they were raw but I could be mistaken and they might have been lightly roasted or boiled. Regardless, I put them and the simple syrup in my small crockpot, on low. And left them there for 24 hours. Make sure you have enough syrup to cover them. Then I let them cool, in the pot. Next I turned the pot back on low for another 24 hours. My understanding of "glace" is to try to convert the object into a sweet confection by replacing some of its moisture with the simple syrup. Think a version of brining. That is what I did and my mother loved them. And since I made them for her I was pleased. I'm sure people will now try to correct me and tell me I'm wrong but again, you asked what I did. I hope you try it and it works for you. Let me know if you make any adjustments and how they work out. Shoshanna On 11/18/10, Stefan li Rous wrote: Last Monday, Susan Lin commented: <<< I've even used mine to make glace (pardon the missing accent) chesnuts ( a favorite of my mother). >>> "glace" is a coating? of candy, sugar? or something else? What is your recipe? I occasionally see chestnuts in the stores here, usually I think around Yule time. We've talked about roasting them before, but this might give me something else to try on them. Thanks, Stefan -------- THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 11:58:42 -0500 From: Johnna Holloway To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] glace chestnuts On Nov 19, 2010, at 10:10 AM, Susan Lin wrote: <<< I have not done any research as to whether they are period but I like to think that this is a preservation method that might be close. >>> Glace chestnuts are in La Varenne's French Confectioner. Section X recipe 16 (page 508 in the Scully edition.) Johnnae Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:23:22 -0800 From: David Walddon To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] glace chestnuts I was intrigued so I went to La Varenne (Scully's edition) and found a few other "candied" chestnut recipes. I also have several pounds of chestnuts and am going to try out some of the recipes. I will post here or to my blog (with pictures) once I start in on the recipes. Does anyone have the French for the below. I would like to have it. Also does anyone have any other candied chestnut recipes from period (or close to - given the 1650 or 1600 date issues). Here are the ones that I have found in La Varenne. The compote sounds interesting - Two issues Apricot syrup (made the way it says to do) is not going to happen at this time of year and what kind of Spanish Wine? The first recipe for Limousin Chestnuts is very straightforward. The next one, "Another way", is not going to happen for me because I am allergic to raw egg white. Eduardo ---- In the confections section of the French Cook (Scully pg 372) recipe number 61 and 62 61. Limousin Chestnuts Cook chestnuts normally. When they are done, peel them as you do flatten them a little between your hands; set them out on a plate. Get some water, some sugar and the juice of a lemon or some orange blossom water and make a syrup of them. When it is made, pour it boiling on your chestnuts. You can serve them hot or cold. 62. Another way If you wish to blanch them, get an egg white and some orange blossom water and beat them together; soak your chestnuts in that. Then put them in a dish with some powdered sugar and roll them in it so they get covered with it; then dry them by the fire. Then in the French Confectioner Bk X Unusual Confections (Scully pg 506) recipe 7 7. Chestnut Compote Roast some chestnuts on the coals, shell them and flatten them, then put them into a silver dish with some apricot syrup, or some other sort of syrup, and a little Spanish wine; boil them. When you want to serve them, put a plate on top and tip them over on it like a cheese. Apricot syrup recipe included in the French Confectioner: Bk V Refreshing Syrups 4. Apricot Syrup Get very ripe apricots, peel them and remove their pits. Put ver clean little sticks on the bottom of a basin, arrange a layer of apricots on the sicks, then a layer of powdered sugar, and repeat until you have as much as you want to make of it; cover them over and put them in a cellar for a night. If you want to keep the syrup that has fallen into the basin, draw it off and boil it until it has cooked to the pearl stage. You can use the apricots to make tourtes o marmalades. And finally in The French Confectioner: Bk XI Moist Confections recipe 16 16. Glace Chestnuts Make a glazing of some orange-blossom water and some sugar, as is directed for Glace Marzipan. Cook some chestnuts on the coals, shell them, flatten them, glaze them on one side and cook them with the upper part of the oven, then turn them over on their other side, glaze them and cook them the same way. Glace Brignol plums, cherries and peaches are done the same way as the chestnuts. The orange blossom water is included in the French Confectioner: Bk XVI Marzipan recipe 4 4. Glace Marzipan Take some plain marzipan paste and make it up into rings or whatever shape you want. Then make a glazing with some orange-blossom water and some powdered sugar: get some orange-blossom water, put some sugar into it and mix the well together until this glazing is slightly thick, Dip one side of your marzipan into it, put some paper and bake it with a moderate heat applied to the top of the oven. When it has baked, let it cool, then dip the unglazed side (into the glazing) and bake it as before. ________________________________________________________ Food is life. May the plenty that graces your table truly be a VAST REPAST. David Walddon david at vastrepast.com www.vastrepast.net Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 05:11:23 -0500 From: Johnna Holloway To: Cooks within the SCA Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] glace chestnuts I have the Bibliotheque Bleue edition from the 1980's. The French Cook: Le Cuisinier fran?ois (London 1653) Introduction by Philip and Mary Hyman, 1983 (Montalba: Biblioth?que Bleue) It's in it. Le Confiturier francois should be up and able to be viewed at the Bibliotheque Nationale. The search keeps getting bumped out this am. Maybe we can find it there later. Wikipedia says Gallica Project French National Library: "Le Cuisinier fran?ois" (e- book) Universitat de Barcelona: Le Cuisinier fran?ois (e-book) So it should be part of the Grewe collection also, providing it's a full edition and contains the pastry and confectionery recipes as well as the cookery. Johnnae On Nov 21, 2010, at 8:23 PM, David Walddon wrote: <<< Does anyone have the French for the below. I would like to have it. >>> Edited by Mark S. Harris chestnuts-msg Page 20 of 20