Tim Dover, chef proprietor of The Roost Restaurant in Bridge of Earn let’s us in on one of his autumnal foodie secrets… cooking with chestnuts.
As we step into autumn I have noticed the nights drawing in faster and a wee nip in the air in the mornings in recently, following the months of warm weather we’ve been blessed with in Scotland.
I have always loved this time of the year and it never fails to bring back fond memories from my childhood of scrambling up trees and picking conkers (horse chestnuts).
Most of the chestnut trees you find in Scotland are of the horse chestnut variety although there are a few sweet chestnut trees dotted around the country, the closest to me being in Fife.
Horse chestnuts, although fun to collect are inedible and best avoided. Sweet chestnuts on the other hand are completely safe to consume and well worth eating.
The sweet chestnut’s cupule, known as a “burr”, is brown and has numerous long bristly spines. It contains two to three nuts at a time, which are small and triangular. Horse chestnut cupules are thick and green, with small, short, wider spaced spikes, and generally contain only one larger rounded nut so differentiating between the two varieties is quite straight forward.
If you are lucky enough to find a sweet chestnut tree on your travels, you should fill your pockets with as many chestnuts as you can as this is a rare find in Scotland and they taste delicious.
Failing that they are readily available to buy online direct and in selected supermarkets throughout the season. With that in mind here is a simple recipe for roasted chestnuts. I like to make these up on the fire pit when we have friends round for drinks. The recipe below can be done with a cooker but if you are doing them on the firepit like me just adapt the cooking method to suit.
I find it a lovely way to relax, catch up and socialise during the colder months.
Roast chestnuts in spiced butter
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 litre water
- 450g fresh chestnuts, rinsed and dried
- 130g unsalted butter
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp soft brown sugar
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Method
- Place a large cast iron pan in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 210C Fan/230C/450F/Gas Mark 8.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over a high heat. While the water is heating, carve an “X” into the rounded side of each chestnut with a serrated knife. Cut through the shell only, being careful not to cut too deep into the nut itself.
- When the water reaches a boil, quickly blanch the slit chestnuts in the water for 30 seconds. Drain and dry the chestnuts, then transfer them, “X” side up, to the heated pan in the oven. Roast the chestnuts for 25-30 minutes, just until the shell starts to curl away from the nut.
- Transfer the nuts to a large cutting board and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Set aside just until the nuts are cool enough to handle – the nuts will be easier to peel while they are still warm.
- Place the pan on the stovetop and add the butter, cinnamon stick, salt, sugar, and nutmeg. The skillet should still be hot enough to melt the butter but not burn it. Stir everything until the butter is completely melted, then transfer the butter mixture to a small bowl.
- Using your fingers, peel away the shells and brown skins of the chestnuts. If any brown skin clings to the nuts, a paring knife can be used to peel them away. Toss the peeled chestnuts in the melted butter and serve whilst still hot.