The magic of winters can be felt in its chill.. in the way the trees gracefully shed their leaves.. tinier days spent mostly in soaking the sun.. those longer nights where just about a hot cup of Chocolate makes everything warm and cozy.. sitting by the fireplace and eating Roasted Chestnuts. That just sums up my day in the hills 
There are days when I sulk that many vegetables are not available in the hills and then there are days I find myself blessed to find things which many people cannot dream of getting. So this constant tussle keeps me busy 😛
When I saw Chestnuts in the market I knew Christmas is just around the corner. The locals call it Pangar. This name denotes all kinds of chestnuts, some are edible and some are not. But of course the one I have used are edible and oh so delicious! The skin of the chestnut is very hard and in order to roast them you must also score them with a sharp knife, carefully hunh! If you dont score them they will pop and explode and can be a little dangerous. So wise people say score them and roast them and your festivity will be joyous without any accidents 🙂
The festive season brings out the kid in me for I love to do cookies with warm spices, pies in all its forms and having hot roasted chestnuts takes it to a new level. I roasted them and when they popped open I tossed some Coffee Butter on them. That was the best thing I have done all season What are your plans for the holiday season? Write to me under the post I would love to hear from you.
Directions:
1. Choose chestnuts which are not bruised or open from anywhere. If their shell is punctured its likely they will be bad and rotten from inside.
2. Boil some water in a sauce pan. and when it comes to a boil add the chestnuts and let them soak in for 5 minutes.
3. Drain them in a colander and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
4. Now using a small pairing knife make an X on the face of each chestnut. I know its a huge talk and by the end of it my fingers were paining. But someone has to do the dirty job 🙂
5. Once this stage is done its all easy peasy. Place the scored chestnuts in a baking tray with Scored part facing up. Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius for ten minutes and pop the tray inside the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. You will hear the popping and that will bring happiness to your soul. The skin of the chestnuts will curl up that’s an indication that they are doing just fine.
6. In the meanwhile we can work on the cocoa coffee butter. In a saucepan add butter and Maple syrup. Once it is bubbly remove it from the flame.
7. Also add instant coffee and vanilla essence. Keep stirring till the coffee has dissolved.
8. Place the roasted chestnuts in a serving platter with X side up. Drizzle this Cocoa Coffee butter on top and let it sink inside from the cracks.
9. Cover the chestnuts for a while for nuts to absorb the flavour. When they are easy to touch season them with Flaky Crystal Salt and serve.
You can even try Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon , Roasted Bell Pepper & Black Eyed Peas Salad, Roasted Red Bell Pepper & Pine Nuts Fettuccine Pasta, Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes.
[whohit]RoastedChestnutwithCocoaCoffeeButter[/whohit]
- 500gms Raw chestnuts
- 7 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 teaspoons instant espresso coffee
- flaky sea salt
- Choose chestnuts which are not bruised or open from anywhere. If their shell is punctured its likely they will be bad and rotten from inside.
- Boil some water in a sauce pan. and when it comes to a boil add the chestnuts and let them soak in for 5 minutes.
- Drain them in a colander and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
- Now using a small pairing knife make an X on the face of each chestnut.
- Once this stage is done its all easy peasy. Place the scored chestnuts in a baking tray with Scored part facing up. Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius for ten minutes and pop the tray inside the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes.
- In the meanwhile we can work on the cocoa coffee butter. In a saucepan add butter and Maple syrup. Once it is bubbly remove it from the flame.
- Also add instant coffee and vanilla essence. Keep stirring till the coffee has dissolved.
- Place the roasted chestnuts in a serving platter with X side up. Drizzle this Cocoa Coffee butter on top and let it sink inside from the cracks.
- Cover the chestnuts for a while for nuts to absorb the flavour. When they are easy to touch season them with Flaky Sea Salt and serve.