Before this little exercise commenced I looked chestnuts up in my "Victorian Flower Dictionary" and learned that they mean "Do Me Justice." This seems fitting, since they have a prickly burr and must be cooked to eat. They aren't easily approached.
I was determined to try to make Sarah Raven's "Chestnut Pavlova with Caramelised Apples" from her book "In Season" using Struan Farm's chestnuts.
First, I had to boil the chestnuts so they were cooked. This was easier said than done, I found instructions for doing so here. Shelling the hot, cooked nuts and removing the skin was tedious. TEDIOUS. But I got through all that. At one point I wondered if it would have been better to toss everything out and try the recipe with a can of cooked chestnuts, but I persevered.
This actually looks better than it tasted.
Two pavs were sandwiched between chestnut cream flavored with brandy and topped with caramelised apples and chestnuts. I'm not sure if the chestnuts weren't cooked enough, since they didn't really puree but were quite floury. Perhaps I didn't go far enough in the food processor, that is a possibility. English cookbooks aren't always the most explanatory, they assume you know what you're doing.
So I may be giving our chestnuts a miss. John wants to roast them in the fire, I'll let him have a go and see what happens.
My apologies chestnuts, you are hard work, it seems I can't do you justice!
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