Chestnut Compote With Coffee Sauce
Fresh chestnuts are set off by the rich, dark, coffee-flavoured sauce to make a wonderful pudding. Do not spoil the effect by using canned or reconstituted nuts. I always buy bagfuls offresh nuts around Christmas and freeze them, both in and out of their shells, so that I will be able to make recipes such as this during at least some of the rest of the year. Peeling chestnuts can be a little fiddly, but if you do it while the nuts are hot or warm, the shell and skin should be quite easy to remove. It is a good idea to have a few spare nuts to hand in case some are bad, although I have not found this a problem with chestnuts sold by supermarkets.
INGREDIENTS:
APPROXIMATELY 32 CHESTNUTS
(PLUS A FEW EXTRA AS
A PRECAUTION)
55 0/2 oz SUGAR
300 ML/10 FL OZ. WATER
1 VANILLA POD
COFFEE SAUCE:
3 EGG YOLKS
3 TBSP VANILLA CASTER SUGAR,
TO TASTE
100 ML/31/2FL OZ STRONG BLACK COFFEE, PREFERABLY ESPRESSO
DIRECTIONS:
Cut a cross through the outer skin of the rounded side of each chestnut, then place in a saucepan of boiling water. Leave for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, remove some of the nuts and peel off both the outer shell and the inner skin. Repeat until all the nuts have been peeled. flatly nuts cool befbre they are peeled, return them to the hot water to warm again.
Gently heat the sugar in the water, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, add the vanilla pod and the chestnuts and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender. Leave to cool in the liquid, then divide between 4 small serving dishes or glasses.
To make the sauce, place the egg yolks, sugar and coffee in a heatproof bowl, place over a saucepan of hot water and whisk until foamy and almost thick enough to support a trail of the mixture. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk for about I minute. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl.
