We’ve all heard of roasting chestnuts over an open fire, but how many of you have actually tried them?
Hi, I’m Chef Jason Hill and today we’re going to learn a little bit more about this chestnut and then we’re going to get to roasting. Chestnuts are available in the U.S. from September to February, and they’re the only nut that contain Vitamin C and are also high in Potassium and Protein. They have a sweet taste too and their texture is like a baked potato, and they’re a good addition to a turkey stuffing, add it to pasta or even candied. In choosing fresh chestnuts, I always look for ones that are plump, free of any bruising and having nice, shiny brown shell. Before we roast the chestnuts, we need to take a small paring knife and we’re going to make a little “ex” from the flat side of the nut, right to the shell just like this. This will prevent the nut from exploding while it is roasting. After I score the chestnuts, I set them in some cool water for about 15 minutes before we roast. After the nuts have been soaking in the water for 15 minutes, I’m going to place in a baking sheet with the “ex” side up and it’s going to go into a pre-heated 400-degree oven. To roast in your fireplace, I recommend using a pan with a long handle. Now I know this is exaggerating a little bit, but you can use your fireplace shovel or a fireplace popcorn popper. Okay, after 15 minutes the shells are starting to cool back and we’re going to let this cool for a bit and then we’re going to peel them. After the chestnuts have cooled to the touch, go ahead and start peeling. I just peel the shell apart and you’ll notice some of them will come out real clean and some of them will still have a little bit of this very furry skin that you have to peel away. Chestnuts are a fun, easy thing to make during the holidays and they’re also good dipped in sour cream, thanks for watching.