Monte Bianco

Autumn has arrived... It's time for chestnuts! It's an excellent ingredient for many sweet and savoury recipes.

My choice fell on "Monte Bianco", a dessert my mother used to make when I was a kid and I still enjoy years later.

Montebianco (Montblanc in French) is a simple and genuine dessert of Italian-French origin that is very popular in Piedmont and Lombardy. It is made with chestnut puree, whipped cream and cocoa powder, the shape of which resembles that of a snow-covered mountain.

Ingredients:

• 800 g of chestnuts

• 50 g of sugar

• salt

• 3 tbs of cocoa

• 1 tsp of cinnamon

• 500 ml of milk

• 1 small glass of rum (optional)

• Whipped cream (500 ml)

Info:

🍷 Recommended Wine: Pond Paddock Martina Chardonnay

👩🏻‍🍳 Cuisine: Italian 🇮🇹 and french 🇫🇷

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Yield: 4 servings

⏰ Time

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

Resting :

😰 Level: easy

💰 Cost (NZ): $$$$

Method:

1. Wash the chestnuts under running water, drain them well. Make a dent on each chestnut, cutting a small piece of the peel with a sharp knife.
   

2. Place the chestnuts in a large pan full of water. Boil them for about 30 minutes or 10 minutes if you use a pressure cooker.
   

3. Drain the boiled chestnuts and peel them, including their thin brown skin.
   

4. In a saucepan, collect the chestnuts and add the milk.
   

5. Cook the mixture; as soon as it starts to boil, lower the heat and cover with a lid, stirring from time to time for about 25 minutes. During that time, try to crush the chestnuts as much as possible with a wooden spoon.
   

6. Just before the mixture thickens, add the sugar, rum, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Stir and remove from the heat.
   

7. Blend the mixture with a blender, until you get a smooth and thick chestnut puree, free of lumps.
   

8. Let it cool to room temperature.
   

9. Place the chestnut puree in a potato masher. Mash it onto a serving dish, in order to obtain a “mountain” of vermicelli.
   

10. Cover the “mountain” with a layer of whipped cream.