What is the best way to cook sweet chestnuts?!
Now often too dry or burnt help!
Answers: I cooked them nice once but forgot how I did this.
Now often too dry or burnt help!
1. Cut chestnut in half.
2. Examine the inside to see if it is rotten or has a worm. An amazingly high percentage of chestnuts do. It is as though the worms know a good party nut when they see one and all pile in. Very bizarre. Of course if you like eating worms then skip this stage and enjoy yourself.
3. Place on a hot grill slit side down. The reason for this is simple. Chestnuts have an inner membrane that clings to them. In order to get them, 'just right', you need to dry out the shell sufficiently so that that membrane loosens its grip on the nut and becomes crispy. However, if you cook them slit side up you will just end up with a nut that is dried out and overly crispy. So you need to cook the shell. The shell will then cook the nut.
4. Longer is better than shorter in terms of cooking time. Depending on the oven and the amount of nuts it may take up to 45 or 50 minutes to get the shells cooking away just right. This is a judgement call. But you will notice that the shells are at least browning nicely, and that the chestnuts slip easily in and out of their shells like perfect dinner jackets.
Then eat them. (Apply salt if desired)
Drink sherry.
Throw up.
Simple!
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire?
On a brasserie. (that is not a boob basket lol)