The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Chestnut Stuffing with Truffles. — Peel the dark skins off some Chestnuts, immerse in boiling water for a few minutes, remove the light skins, and boil for twenty minutes. Put in a saucepan lib. of fat bacon and two shallots, and hold these over the fire for a short time ; then add the Chestnuts, Jib. of truffles, previously cut into small pieces, pepper, spices, salt to taste, and a little powdered marjoram and thyme. Hold it over the fire a little longer, turning it about, and it is ready for use. Chestnut Stuffing for Turkey. — Put a dozen or so large Chestnuts into a saucepan of water, and boil them until quite tender ; then remove the shells and husks, put them into a mortar and pound them. Put 4oz. of shred beef-suet into a basin, mix in Jib. of breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and squeeze in a slight flavouring of lemon. Mix in the pounded Chestnuts, and the stuffing is ready for use. For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, dc., referred to, see under their special heads. Chestnuts — continued. Chestnut Timbale. — As a specimen of what can be done in the way of artistic cookery, this timbale, by Dubois, may be considered as worthy of great merit. Mix in a basin Mb. of flour, Mb. of caster sugar, and ilb. of warmed, clarified butter; when worked quite smooth, add the yolks of five eggs, a little salt, and a little grated orange-peel. Work this for two or three minutes, and then add the whipped whites of five eggs. Butter some baking-sheets, spread the paste on jin. thick, and bake it in a slow oven. When taken out, cut out six flats of square shape, measuring- the height of the timbale - mould selected to be used ; mask one side of these pieces with white sugar royal icing. Cut out a six-sided flat, from a pattern cut out of cardboard, mask this with marmalade, and glaze over, like the six flats, Fig. 451. Chestnut Timbale. with icing. The icing being dry, cut two opposite edges of the flats of biscuits with sloping edges, so as to make them fit neatly when joined together, and set them against the timbale-mould, fixing them on with icing sugar ; adorn each face of these six sides with coloured piping, hiding the lines of junction with a thread of white icing ; when set firm, remove the mould and place the timbale on a flat or piece of board, bordered ornamentally with gum-paste. When about to serve, fill the hollow with a sweet puree of chestnuts, flavoured with vanilla, mixed with preserved fruits cut in dice ; cover the timbale with the glazed flat as a lid, and on the centre of that fix a little plume of spun sugar, or other ornament, such as a small vase of crystallised fruits or flowers. See Fig. 451. Compote of Chestnuts. — (1) Peel the brown skin off forty or fifty large Chestnuts, and put them in boiling water for a few minutes until the light skin comes off easily when rubbed in a cloth ; then put them in a large copper sugar-boiler so that they lay flat at the bottom, cover them with a syrup at lfiOdeg. Fahr., and let them simmer gently for twenty minutes. When they are done, strain the syrup off through a conical strainer, and reduce it to 30deg. Fahr. ; before reducing the syrup, flavour it with half the rind of an orange or lemon, cut very thin, or a quarter of a stick of vanilla. Put the Chestnuts in a compote-dish, strain the syrup over them, and serve.