|
| CHESTNUT
CAKE - TORTA DI CASTAGNE |
RECIPE
BY TALLYRAND |
 |
You
can't have your cake and eat it too!
This
week sees the last week of tip toeing through some of
my favourite Italian recipes. Next week I will be bringing
you a whole new series of recipes.
As
you are reading this I am either on a plane from somewhere
to somewhere else or flying over a different country
altogether, either that or I am in Hong Kong, mainland
China, Germany or in the UK . . . who knows? Yes I am
on my yearly sojourn overseas but not all for play.
While in the UK I will be conducting cooking demonstrations
at Pontyprydd College of Further Education on December
9th and 10th. The new series of recipes I mentioned
above, will be the ones I will be demonstrating, all
to promote the best of New Zealand cuisine and produce.
With
Christmas on all our minds, and the song "chestnuts
roasting on an open fire" on our lips, my mind
turned to an Italian recipe for chestnut cake. Chestnuts
to me say Christmas, Christmas to me says chestnuts!
While you can buy them whole or puréed in tins,
jars or frozen these days do me, yourself and this recipe
a favour and go and buy some fresh ones. They are so
easy to prepare and cook and in this case there really
is no substitute for fresh. Do your kids a favour too
and buy a few extra and cook them in your open fire
. . . I will tell you how later!
This
cake makes a great alternative to the normal Christmas
fruit cake or better still used to compliment it. Why
not serve the fruit cake on Christmas Day and the chestnut
cake on Christmas Eve with a deep, rich, strong cup
of coffee. Christmas eve is often the time when friends
and family drop by and a cup of hot toddy, mulled wine
or egg nog is served up to warm off those winter chills.
This
traditional egg nog is very familiar to the Italian
Zabaglione that is either served as a dessert
on its own or as an accompaniment to another dish .
. . lets use it as an accompaniment to the cake and
a lighter version of the egg nog! Who says you can't
have your cake and eat it too!
For
previous Italian recipes I have covered:
CHESTNUT
CAKE - TORT DI CASTAGNE
Ingredients
for Chestnut
Cake
| chestnuts
- peeled |
500
|
gm |
| milk |
250
|
ml |
| sugar
- castor |
250
|
gm |
| egg
yolks |
6
|
pc |
| butter
- melted |
100
|
gm |
| almonds
- finely chopped |
100
|
gm |
| chocolate
- bitter cooking |
100
|
gm |
| brandy |
50
|
ml |
| lemon |
1
|
pc |
| egg
whites |
6
|
pc |
How
to make Chestnut
Cake - Tort di Castagne
Preparing
the cake tin (25 - 27cm round):
- Brush
the cake tin lightly with some melted butter and lightly
flour
Preparing
the chestnuts:
- With
a small sharp pointed knife, make a two slits on the
flat side of the chestnuts in a cross formation
- Either
place in a roasting tray on into a very hot oven for
10 - 15 minutes or wrap well in tin foil and place
in the fire for 5 minutes (if you are roasting them
to eat as is, add some salt into the parcel)
- Remove
from the heat and allow to cool slightly and peel.
The chestnuts must still be hot to warm while peeling,
if allowed to cool too much they will be difficult
to peel
Preparing
the cake:
- Place
the peeled chestnuts in the milk with a little extra
sugar, bring to a boil and simmer for approximately
15 minutes until soft
- Drain
and puree the chestnuts in a food processor
- Place
the sugar and eggs in a bowl and whisk until thickened
- Add
the melted butter and combine
- Add
the chopped almonds, chocolate, zest and juice of
the lemon and the brandy and combine
- Whisk
the egg whites to the stiff peak stage and fold gently
into the above mixture
- Pour
into the prepared cake tin and bake in the middle
of the oven: pre-heated to 180ºC for 45 minutes.
Chef's
Tip:
To
know more about whipping egg whites <click
here>
To know more about cake tin preparation and testing
cakes to see if they are cooked <click
here>
Traditionally
the chestnuts were put onto a garden spade and held
over the open fire.
ZABAGLIONE
RECIPE
Ingredients
| egg
yolks |
6
|
pc |
| sugar
- castor |
100
|
gm |
| Marsala |
200
|
ml |
Method
- In
a bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the
Marsala
- Place
over a saucepan with boiling water in it (approx.
2cm deep): the water must not be allowed to touch
the base of the bowl
- Whisk
until it looks almost white and has doubled in bulk
and is light and frothy
- Serve
immediately while still warm
Chef's
Tip:
If
you do not like or have not got any Marsala swap it
for some white wine, sherry, port, brandy or a liqueur
of your choice
Enjoy
and bon appetit . . . . .
|
Chef's
terminology:
|
| |
lt |
=
|
litres |
|
tsp |
= |
teaspoon |
| |
ml |
=
|
millelitres |
|
tbs |
= |
tablespoon |
| |
kg |
=
|
kilograms |
|
sq |
= |
sufficient
quantity (add to taste) |
| |
gm |
=
|
grams |
|
pc |
= |
piece,
meaning a whole one of |
|
Recipe
from professional
Chef Tallyrand
Email
Hub-UK : info@hub-uk.com
|
