Wednesday, November 11, 2009

An Ode to Fresh Chestnuts

Our chestnut delivery finally arrived, and I am in heaven. (Because the chestnuts you find at the grocery store aren't refrigerated, as they should be, more often than not they're stale and moldy by the time you get them home. I order mine from Empire Chestnut Company in Ohio, which sends beautiful, crunchy, sweet chestnuts.) I've started roasting them for the pork and chestnut stew we'll be serving on Saturday, but I also love to eat them raw. The flavor is something like a dense, crunchy, sweet carrot, and quickly becomes addictive.

After scoring each chestnut and roasting them, the meat inside turns starchy and soft. A different flavor, but equally good. It adds its own flavor to the stew, and thickens it as well.

The part of dinner I'm most excited about, though, is serving fresh, hot biscuits with our homemade butter! This is truly a unique experience. How often do you get really good biscuits at a restaurant, served hot out of the oven?

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