18^th century

Chestnut Tart

Chestnut pudding or ‘chestnut tarts’ appear often in eighteenth century cookery books. Usually they are made by making a purée of cooked chestnuts, flavoured with orange flower water or rosewater. Eggs are added, and cream too, making it into a batter, which is then usually poured into puff pastry.

In the eighteenth century book The Ladies Companion (1743), I found a recipe that is very different from other chestnut puddings. It uses whole roasted chestnuts, bone marrow, candied peel and is then covered in custard. The recipe reminds me of a tort de moy.

Chestnut tart

First roast your Chestnuts, and peel them, then sheet a dish with Puff-paste, and between every two Chestnuts put a Lump of Marrow, rolled in Eggs, and some Orange and Lemon-Peel cut small, then make a Custard and put all over it, and garnish with roasted Chestnuts all over.

The Ladies Companion, 1743

Makes a 22–24 cm (8½–9½ inch) pie

30 g (1 oz) beef marrow

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) thick (double) cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 mace blade

1 cinnamon stick

3 egg yolks

½ quantity puff pastry

18–20 chestnuts

10 g (³/₈ oz) candied lemon peel

10 g (³/₈ oz) candied orange peel

Prepare the bone marrow as instructed (for Tort de moy). Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Make the custard by putting the cream in a medium saucepan and bringing it to a gentle simmer with the sugar, mace and cinnamon. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl, pour a small amount of warm cream into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. This prepares your yolks for the hot liquid and will prevent it from curdling. Gradually add the rest of the cream, whisking until it is all incorporated. Allow to cool, then strain out the spices.

Meanwhile prepare the puff pastry as instructed.

Roast fresh chestnuts in a cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. They are ready when the skins have blackened. Peel and remove any threads. Alternatively, use chestnuts from a jar, which are already roasted and peeled.

Blind bake the pie case as instructed. Chop up the candied peel and arrange over the base of the pastry case. Neatly arrange the whole chestnuts over the base of the pie dish. Put a small chunk of bone marrow in between each chestnut. Now scoop the custard in and transfer to the lower part of the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes place the pie in the middle of the oven and bake for another 15–20 minutes until the pastry is nicely golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before serving.