Recipe for Marron Glacés, candied chestnuts (2024)
I think the first sign of a food blogger's madness is seeing a recipe that takes 4 days and delightedly rubbing your hands with glee. Which is exactly what I did (ok perhaps I did not rub my hands with glee, that seems a little old school villain) but when I saw this recipe for these sweet candied little chestnut morsels I had to try and make them. I am not foolish enough to think that mine will turn out as perfectly as Clément Faugier's but I was happy to give it a go and see how it would turnout. I was also working from home this week so the requisite 4 day cooking time was no problem.
I used a hybrid of different recipes and the biggest problem I had was shelling them and I think I perhaps boiled them for too long (one recipe specified 20 minutes which I think is too long, they became too soft and break up). So all in all, I only got about 12 whole marron glaces and a whole lot of tiny pieces. However this is not a complete loss, the broken up pieces are delicious served in a Mont Blanc style dessert served as they are on top of a mountain of whipped cream. Trust me, this isheaven. And don't discard the chestnut flavoured syrup, it's a wonderful alternative to maple syrup on pancakes or ice cream. In fact I ate it with home made crumpets and my husband concurred that it was a fabulous combination.
This is my last chestnut recipe for this season, I am departing soon to warmer lands for a holiday where chestnuts are out of season. So I shall say a sad goodbye to chestnut and will await your return next Winter!
Marron Glacés (Candied chestnuts)
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Step 1 - Start 4 days before you want to use them, as that's how long the process takes.
Step 2 - Peel chestnuts of their outer shell. Drop them into boiling water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon or wire spatula, and, trying to keep the chestnuts whole, peel off both the outer shell and inner skin, as quickly as you can, while they are still hot. Once cold, the skin begins to adhere to the nut, so keep the unpeeled chestnuts in hot water. The broken pieces will taste just as wonderful.
Step 3 - When all the chestnuts have been shelled and the membranes removed, using a large pan, cook the sugar, water and the vanilla bean over low heat, stirring all the while until the sugar dissolves. Allow to gently simmer for 5 minutes, then add the chestnuts. Bring to the boil and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean.
Step 4 - Cover the saucepan and allow to steep over night or at least 12 hours. Bring again to the boil and cook 1 minute more. Again allow to stand this time for 24 hours. Repeat again from * to * until all the syrup has been absorbed (shouldn't take more than 3-4 times). My syrup did not fully absorb after 4 days so I just drained the pieces. Cooking over the time may inhibit the crystallization process - which is dependent on the above steps.
Step 5 - Drying process: preheat oven to 65°C (about 150F), cover an oven rack or baking rack with parchment paper (or waxed). Distribute the crystallized chestnuts evenly and allow to dry out for 2 hours with the oven door propped open a few centimeters or until they are firm. I stuck a pair of long tongs in the oven door to prop it ajar a few centimeters.
Step 6 - Pack the chestnuts individually in cellophane or saran wrap; put into little crinkle-edge paper sweet cases, and keep in an airtight container. If kept more than a week or so, the sugar in the chestnuts may start to crystallize; in this case, it is better to preserve them in their syrup, draining them before use.
Why is Marron Glace so Expensive? It's a combination of natural factors and the accumulated reputation! First of all, making Marron Glaces is a delicate, labor-intensive, and costly process. To start with, the chestnuts need to look a certain way (be as close to one another in size as possible).
Marron Glacé is a confection consisting of a chestnut candied in sugar syrup and glazed. The origin of this preparation is still unclear: it seems however that it was born in the the sixteenth century somewhere between the north of Italy and the south of France.
In 1986 the Corsiglia laboratory developed vacuum-packed “Marrons Glacés”. It is an exclusive process that only our company can offer. Our additive- and preservative-free “marrons glacés” will keep for 24 months in their original freshness pouch.
Marron Glace is a specialty product and can be hard to find. A good substitute is any dried fruit, like apricots or dates. If you can't find candied chestnuts (a.k.a. marron glace), here are some ideas: Dried (or fresh) fruit like cranberries, raisins, cherries, blueberries, apricots, dates, etc.
Chestnuts are commonly used for raw products (e.g. frozen chestnut pieces) and marrons for processed products (e.g. chestnut cream, chestnut pan). But beware: the real “marron”, the seed of the horse chestnut tree, is poisonous.
Often marron is used to define very large chestnuts or, as in the case of the French, used to classify chestnuts which do not have signs of episperm intrusion (pellicle which covers the seed) in the kernel or which have a low division percentage (<12 percent).
To keep your “Marrons Glacés” fresh and tasty, it is recommended you store them in a cool and dry place, ideally in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator (4 to 6 degrees C). For optimal taste, place the “marrons” at room temperature half-an-hour before enjoying.
But today they are celebrated and savoured in these beautiful sweet treats. After being harvested in November, they are roasted and delicately coated in sugar syrup and individually wrapped. The result is a smooth, sweet, nutty delight – a delicious indulgence.
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches. Fire-roasted chestnuts have a wonderful woody aroma and nutty flavor.
To make marron glacé, the chestnuts are cooked and soaked in syrup several times to infuse them with flavor.Over a few days, they soak up all the syrup, then are dried out in an oven. It'll take about three to four days to make homemade marron glacé, but it's well worth the effort!
Marrons are delicious, they are a true luxury for the tastebuds, just imagine crayfish or lobster without the salty seafood taste or aroma. So what your are getting is a clean tasting meat, which many have described as being sweeter that the aforementioned seafood products.
Marron-quality nuts for marrons glacés may be three or four times more expensive than the châtaigne because they also have a lower yield as the husk usually contains only one or two nuts and the plants have sterile male flowers.
But today they are celebrated and savoured in these beautiful sweet treats. After being harvested in November, they are roasted and delicately coated in sugar syrup and individually wrapped. The result is a smooth, sweet, nutty delight – a delicious indulgence.
More importantly they are plentiful in good mono and poly unsaturated fats, they are high in protein and have beneficial minerals such as zinc, copper, iron and magnesium. Again, for me this is an added benefit, it is the taste and texture that draws me to prefer the marron over other seafoods.
It lives in freshwater and resembles a large crayfish but doesn't at all taste like one. The marron tastes more like an amphibian than a crustacean. The taste and texture are similar to frog legs and like the frog the marron is incredibly sensitive to its environment.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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