Autumn Chestnuts

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.... Well, it's a bit too early for Jack Frost to be nipping at anyone's nose here. It's humid and overly warm and frankly doesn't feel like chestnut roasting time at all but tell that to the trees. The Japanese chestnuts (called maron or kuri) are in season in our town. I haven't gone up to the hill to harvest any because I could live without them but many people pay to pick their own. Chestnuts are kind of nice mixed in with hot rice or just eaten out of the shell after roasting them but I most often see them pureed into some European-style confections or added to traditional Japanese sweets. I don't care for the taste or texture so I tried something different this year, I roasted them in the oven and dried the meat, then ground it into flour. Chestnut muffins are on the menu.

For information on how to deal with chestnuts, see http://kopiaste.org/2008/12/how-to-make-chestnut-puree/