Mes amis,

Today we celebrate the ancient chestnut! In Thornbury, England, grows the Tortworth chestnut, allegedly planted in 800 AD, but written records referencing the tree (the Domesday Book!) only go back to the twelfth century. So, the fair chestnut tree is 800 years old +/- 400 years. It has since been selected by the Tree Council of England as one of fifty great British trees. Naturellement.

Our dish on this third day of Grape Harvest highlights the sweetness of the sweet chestnut. Adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe, I have omitted some of the orange flavoring to better showcase the chestnut. Enjoy!

Chestnut Chocolate Trifle 

1 14 oz can of chestnuts

1 1/4 cup sugar (divided)

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup orange liqueur

8 oz dark chocolate

2 tbs butter

1 pound cake

I began with making my own pound cake, but purchasing one frozen or from the bakery at the grocery store would serve this dish just fine. The cake is our ballast and will dutifully absorb the flavors of the dish. Melt two tablespoons of butter at medium heat in a saucepan. Add the chocolate and mix to melt, but be careful not to burn. Set aside to cool.

Puree your can of chestnuts in a food processor with 1/4 cup of sugar and two tablespoons of water.

Start mixing the heavy cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until mostly whipped. Add in the remaining one cup of sugar slowly so as not to deflate the whipped cream.

Fold half of the whipped cream in to the chestnut puree and the other half in to the melted chocolate.

Start to assemble! Here’s our pattern: pound cake, liqueur, chestnut, poundcake, liquer, chocolate. Repeat x 1. Place in the fridge to cool and wait as long as you can to eat (aim for three hours).