Luckily for chestnuts, Thanksgiving at the Kef Household lets them shine once a year--MamaKef has always loved adding chestnuts to her stuffing (though I'm sad to report I have yet to see her roast them over an open fire). This year, we also threw some chestnuts over our roasted sweet potatoes to a spectacular result. And this got the Kefwheels turning...
What else can we do with these creamy, delicious treats?
What we have today is a subtle, rich pie that ups the ante and will ensure that chestnuts get more respect than just a passing Carol reference. A more sophisticated version of a diner chocolate mousse pie, it's sure to please anyone who makes it to your holiday buffet. It is most definitely not a traditional pie--but I'll bet it comes back year after year, anyway.
Sorry, figgy pudding-- maybe someone will actually eat you next year.
 |
| I adapted this recipe, whose pictures are nicer. |
Ingredients
--1 can (15 oz) chestnut puree
--1 bag (9 oz) unsweetened carob chips (if you want to use chocolate, use dark)
--1 and 3/4 sticks of butter (room temperature), cut into small pieces
-- 2 TBS whiskey, cognac, or dark rum
-------------
--1 c almond meal
--1/2 c coconut flour
--1/2 c carob powder (or cocoa powder)
-- 1 tsp baking soda
-- 2 eggs, beaten
-- 1/8 c honey or maple syrup (more or less, to taste?
-- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-- 3 TBS butter, cu into small pieces and softened to room temp
--OR baked pie crust of choice (Try this pistachio crust)
-------------
--1 c almond meal
--1/2 c coconut flour
--1/2 c carob powder (or cocoa powder)
-- 1 tsp baking soda
-- 2 eggs, beaten
-- 1/8 c honey or maple syrup (more or less, to taste?
-- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-- 3 TBS butter, cu into small pieces and softened to room temp
--OR baked pie crust of choice (Try this pistachio crust)
Assembly
1. For the crust: if you're using your own crust, assemble and bake as directed. Otherwise, preheat oven to 325. For the sugar-free, gluten-free cookie crust, combine both flours, carob/cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients except the butter and mix until combined. Then add the butter in small pieces, kneading with your fingers until you have a cohesive dough.
2. Press the dough into a buttered pie pan to form the crust. If you don't need all of the dough, use the extra to make cookies- you can use that for a topping. Use a fork to poke holes all over the crust and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until middle is set. Do not overcook- the dough is very dark so it will be hard to tell that it's burnt! Remove from oven and let cool completely.
3. To make the filling, fill a large sauce pan 2/3 full with water and heat over med-high. Put the carob chips in a small metal bowl or smaller pot and hold over the heated water (but don't let bottom touch water or chips will burn). Stir constantly to spread heat evenly.
4. Once melted, remove from heat and mix in butter, a piece or two at a time, so that it melts into the mixture.
5. Add chestnut puree and mix until combined. Add vanilla and liquor. Taste mixture and if desired, add more vanilla to sweeten.
6. Pour mixture into pre-made crust and cool in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight if you have the time). Use a spatula to even out the top (which I clearly did not do in the above picture).
1. For the crust: if you're using your own crust, assemble and bake as directed. Otherwise, preheat oven to 325. For the sugar-free, gluten-free cookie crust, combine both flours, carob/cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients except the butter and mix until combined. Then add the butter in small pieces, kneading with your fingers until you have a cohesive dough.
2. Press the dough into a buttered pie pan to form the crust. If you don't need all of the dough, use the extra to make cookies- you can use that for a topping. Use a fork to poke holes all over the crust and bake for 9-10 minutes, or until middle is set. Do not overcook- the dough is very dark so it will be hard to tell that it's burnt! Remove from oven and let cool completely.
3. To make the filling, fill a large sauce pan 2/3 full with water and heat over med-high. Put the carob chips in a small metal bowl or smaller pot and hold over the heated water (but don't let bottom touch water or chips will burn). Stir constantly to spread heat evenly.
4. Once melted, remove from heat and mix in butter, a piece or two at a time, so that it melts into the mixture.
5. Add chestnut puree and mix until combined. Add vanilla and liquor. Taste mixture and if desired, add more vanilla to sweeten.
6. Pour mixture into pre-made crust and cool in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight if you have the time). Use a spatula to even out the top (which I clearly did not do in the above picture).
No comments:
Post a Comment