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December 07, 2010

Not Quite Marron Glace

Chestnuts are here again and I would like to go to the pastry shop and get a box of marron glace. But wait, that's in Milan. Where chestnuts abound in the region and their specialty is marron glace. They come in huge beautiful boxes and the locals cue up to get some for the holidays. That's too far for me and they are a bit pricey. So let me come up with something similar and easy to make.
Boil the chestnuts for at least 30 minutes or until soft. Strain and wash with cold water and let cool.
Peel the chestnuts and mash them finely. just make sure no skin is left before mashing.
For 1 and 3/4 cups of mashed chestnuts add 1/2 cup of muscovado and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.  Put the sugar in a pan and add 1 tablespoon of water to dissolve it completely adding a few drops of vanilla extract. Then add the chestnut and stir until sugar is fully cooked.
10 minutes of stirring on medium fire should make the chestnut firmer but smooth in consistency like marzipan.
When cool, form balls of any desired size shape into chestnuts. Use a fork to make the ridge marks. Brush or spray a little oil on them before baking on a 350 F oven for 10 minutes or so. They should slightly harden on the surface.

With a metal spatula transfer them on a cookie rack and glaze with sugar syrup or powdered sugar glaze.

Serve them in any way you like. I want to place them in paper cups just like the marron glacees from Milan.
Enjoy!

25 comments:

  1. What a good idea, I just boiled ours, peeled them and eat. Not sure there are many still around now, I got ours in October while I was in France. Diane

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  2. Sei bravissimo!!!!!
    Io sono molto golosa di marron glace!!!!
    A presto!!!!

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  3. Oh wow, these are quote gorgeous

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  4. Beautiful! It's a practical idea because for real marron glaces you need almost perfect chestnuts... I tried recently and I gave up.

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  5. You could have fooled me! Everybody in Beirut buys these marrons glacés during the winter holidays; I am a bit far now, and this recipe would be an exquisite reminder! Love it, you are extremely talented!

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  6. These are really great!!! Wonderful step by step and perfect idea for the season! Thanks!

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  7. Ma quanto sei bravo!!!!Sono perfetti!!!

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  8. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a good and creative recipe with chestnuts! You did it! Love it! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Non ho mai pensato di poterli fare a casa....sono una vera delizia....contraccambio molto volentieri la visita e ne approfitto per aggregarmi ai tuoi sostenitori....stefy

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  10. non consocevo questa tecnica io ne adopero un altra più lunga ma sono molto belli complimenti

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  11. Complimenti sono fantastici, bravissimo!!!

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  12. Wow, you are an absolute perfectionists.
    Such a delightful recipe ♥

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  13. I love chestnuts and these look absolutely delicious!

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  14. i brought chestnut not knowing what to do with them...this sounds and looks luscious :)thanks for the share!

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  15. Congratulations for your blog and this lovely recipe!Greetings from Italy and in particular from my land, Tuscany

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  16. never tried this before... the preparations looks interesting... and the end result amazing!

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  17. This sounds and looks so so good.The best part is that you started with whole chestnuts,mashed them and then turned them into a look alike but transformed..thats called back to square one :)
    Thanks for stopping by on my page
    -Tanvi

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  18. Another beautiful work of edible art! These look a lot easier (and less time consuming) to make compared to the actual ones. I've made them only once and if I remember correctly, the whole process took about a week!

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  19. These look absolutely delicious; I might have to make these to go along with the cookies this season. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  20. Such an exquisite treat! Mm, I kind of miss Mont Blanc right now too :-)

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  21. Olá!
    Esta sobremesa parece deliciosaaaaa...
    Muito obrigada pela visita e espero noticias do teu Bolo-Rei.
    Bye..

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  22. Delicious are my favorite candy ..... despite being a caloric bomb!
    I can not live without them!
    thank you for this absolutely delicious recipe!

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Art is in the Kitchen

Art is in the Kitchen
Arthur Escoto

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Napa, California, United States