It's no secret that I absolutely love chestnuts and jump at the chance to enjoy chestnut desserts. So when I saw an easy chestnut pudding recipe from Saveur recently, I had to set the Christmas cookies aside and make time to try it!
I popped open one of my prized jars of Clement Faugier steamed chestnuts (I stock up when I see it in sale at Williams-Sonoma) and made the pudding in no time. You basically blend chestnuts with milk, making a chestnut milk, in effect. Since I love the simple combination of chestnut with vanilla, I sliced open a vanilla bean and added the seeds to this milk. This is then cooked with a thickener of cornstarch and eggs until a pudding forms.
Once the pudding chills and is ready to serve, I whipped up some heavy cream to dollop on top. Instead of garnishing with a dusting of grated nutmeg as suggested, I continued with the vanilla theme and added some more vanilla bean seeds into my whipped cream. Since the chestnut pudding itself is so flavorful, the vanilla-scented whipped cream is a welcome contrast.
My one regret is not cooking my pudding a little longer because mine wasn't as thick as it should have been. It's pretty typical of me; once a pudding mixture thickens and I spot a speck or two of cooked egg white in the mix, I get nervous and end up taking it off the stove a little too early. It's something for me to work on in 2016. But flavor-wise, this pudding is bound to put a smile on any chestnut-lover's face!
This pudding was described as the best part of a mont blanc and I totally agree. What a simple, do-able, way to enjoy the flavors of that classic (and complicated) dessert! Every spoonful of the pudding packs a ton of chestnut flavor - it's sweet, creamy, and just delicious. If you want to stretch the mont blanc theme a little further, how about sprinkling some crushed meringue cookies on top?
So amidst all the Christmas cookies we're baking and eating, I'm glad I took a little break to enjoy something slightly different, this full-on chestnut pudding!
This pudding was described as the best part of a mont blanc and I totally agree. What a simple, do-able, way to enjoy the flavors of that classic (and complicated) dessert! Every spoonful of the pudding packs a ton of chestnut flavor - it's sweet, creamy, and just delicious. If you want to stretch the mont blanc theme a little further, how about sprinkling some crushed meringue cookies on top?
