Considered for a long time as the fruit of the poor, the chestnut today regains its letters of nobility and even benefits from an AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) in Ardèche, where it is part of the cultural heritage. This PDO protects 3 products: fresh chestnuts, dried chestnuts and flour.
>> Watch out for do not confuse it with horse chestnut which is toxic! Chestnuts grow in woods and forests (and not in the parks of our cities). their bug is brown, bristling with many long prickles, and contains 2-3 chestnuts at a time, rather small and flattened.
How to choose chestnuts?
choose them vacuum-packed or canned, this avoids the hassle of peeling, tedious when you cook the chestnuts yourself because they are covered with a bitter skin that must be removed after cooking (in water or steam). However, vacuum-packed or jarred fruits are preferred to those in metal cans, which can distort the taste.
If you prefer fresh chestnuts: to avoid unpleasant surprises, you must choose chestnuts that are full, heavy to the touch and whose shell is free of holes. The freshness of a chestnut can be seen in the shine of its shell, as well as in its undried appearance. Chestnuts will keep in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for about 7 to 8 days. A word of advice: dip them before cooking them, discarding those that float because this is a sign that they are hollow. Healthy, denser fruits do not float.
>> How to peel them easily?Split the shells with a small knife, then put them in the microwave for 1 minute. That’s it ! The 2 skins will leave on their own (or almost).
And the chestnut flour?
Chestnut does not contain gluten, it is frequently used in flour by people who are intolerant to it or who suffer from celiac disease. With a finer grain than wheat flour, chestnut flour can easily replace any flour and it stands out for its fairly distinctive and rather sweet taste. It can be used alone or mixed with another flour with a more neutral taste.
Advice : We choose it organic and if possible labeled AOP. As its flavor is mild, even sweet, you can halve the amounts of sugar indicated in the recipes.
