Chestnut Paste

The chestnut—châtaigne or marron in French—is the quintessential starchy nut of the holidays. Harvested in November, it is fêted in towns across France. Nutritious and versatile, chestnuts can be simply grilled, baked, or boiled. They are a classic accompaniment to roasted Christmas capon. Puréed into pâte de marrons (chestnut paste) or sweetened into crème de marrons, they form the basis of iconic desserts such as the Mont Blanc. Although crème de marrons is readily available, pâte de marrons may be harder to locate. You can use the Sabaton brand (pate de marrons or pate de marrons confit), or follow this recipe to make it from scratch.

Pâte de Marrons

Course: Filling
Cuisine: French
Keyword: chestnut, marron
Difficulty: easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 1 kg
Calories: 65kcal
Cost: $14
The ultimate chestnut paste

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor
  • 1 Rubber spatula
  • 1 Bowl
  • 1 Sieve

Ingredients

Chestnut Paste 1

  • 800 g Chestnuts in syrup (marrons confits) drained
  • 50 g Saved syrup from the can

Chestnut Paste 2

  • 800 g Peeled and cooked chestnuts
  • 125 g Glucose or corn syrup
  • 60 g Water
  • 100 g Raw sugar
  • 10 g Vanilla extract

Instructions

Chestnut Paste 1

  • Chestnut paste made using Marrons confits (candied chestnuts). It yields a dense, intensely flavorful paste that is unbeatable—if you don't mind extra sweetness. Drain the candied chestnuts, reserving the syrup. Use a portion of the syrup to loosen the paste to a workable consistency. The remaining syrup can be used in Mont Blanc cake, yule log assemblies, rum punch, or cocktails.
    marrons confits
  • Pulse the drained candied chestnuts with some of the reserved syrup until a workable paste forms. To adjust the sweetness, you could also dilute the reserved syrup with an equal part of hot water before adding it to the paste. Be sure to maintain a firm consistency.
  • Professional grade Agrimontana chestnuts paste.
    chestnut paste Agrimontana

Chestnut Paste 2

  • Delicious cooked chestnuts are available in jars. You can also buy them frozen, either raw or pre-cooked.
  • Warm the peeled and cooked chestnuts in boiling water for a couple of minutes, and drain. In a small saucepan, combine the glucose, water, sugar, and vanilla and bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes on medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Place the cooked chestnuts in a food processor, give a pulse and pour in the hot syrup, and pulse until a smooth paste forms.

Storage

  • Roll the chestnut paste into a cylinder. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight deli container, or sous vide bag. It will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, and can be frozen for up to a year.

Nutrition

Serving: 25g | Calories: 65kcal
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