Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Sing with me!
Ahhh perfect crisp morning here at my mom’s house, and perfect for roasting chestnuts! I’ve never tried roasted chestnuts before. So this was definitely a little treat. I mean, it couldn’t be that hard, right? Nope. Pretty easy actually. They smell delightful and have a light, sweet, nutty taste. We roasted these and ate them warm, yum!
First things first, pick up some chestnuts at the grocery store or farmer’s market. I used about a half a pound because there were only a few of us. According to Martha Stewart, chestnut season runs October through late December. For ripe chestnuts, you will want to find ones that are firm and shiny. The chestnuts should feel heavy in your hand and have no space between the skin and meat inside.
I gave mine a quick rinse and patted them dry. I am not sure if this completely necessary but I did it anyway. Preheat oven to about 425 degrees or turn on the broiler to high.
Using a sharp knife, slice x’s on the round tops of the chestnuts. Leave the flat side on the bottom. When slicing, be sure to slice way down into the nut until you’ve sliced into the yellow flesh.
Lay the sliced chestnuts onto a roasting pan and put into the oven for 25 minutes. This is what worked for me. I did a little research and times ranged from 15- 45 minutes… this probably has to do with each oven and how many chestnuts you are roasting at a time. Start by setting the timer for 15 minutes and keep an eye on the chestnuts until they are ready.
The chestnuts will be dark brown and the sliced edges will be curled up.
Begin to peel the chestnuts as soon as they are cool enough to handle. The skins and fuzz will peel away easier while the chestnuts are still warm. If they begin to cool too fast and become difficult to peel, pop them back in the oven for a minute or two to warm back up. Then finish peeling.
They were surprisingly easy to peel. Only a few of the nuts has some difficult parts, I used a knife to help me get those parts off.
After you remove all the shells, place the chestnuts in a bowl and serve. Or if you’re like my mom and me, we nibbled a few bites as we peeled. The nuts are sweet and best served warm in my opinion!
Roasting chestnuts was a fun and easy little activity to do with my mom.
This is my favorite version of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire… enjoy!
Will try these. Really enjoyed watching and listening to the Karen Carpenter video. She was so beautiful. I remember how much I loved her songs. Thanks for posting it! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family. OX, Aunt Teri
Hi Aunt Teri! Yes, I had a lovely Thanksgiving, I hope you did as well! Karen Carpenter did have such a lovely voice. Their Christmas album is by far one of my all-time favorites! A must download. xoxo