I think the first sign of a food blogger’s madness is seeing a recipe that takes 4 days and delightedly rubbing your hands with glee. Which is exactly what I did (ok perhaps I did not rub my hands with glee, that seems a little old school villain) but when I saw this recipe for these sweet candied little chestnut morsels I had to try and make them. I am not foolish enough to think that mine will turn out as perfectly as Clément Faugier’s but I was happy to give it a go and see how it would turn out. I was also working from home this week so the requisite 4 day cooking time was no problem.
I used a hybrid of different recipes and the biggest problem I had was shelling them and I think I perhaps boiled them for too long (one recipe specified 20 minutes which I think is too long, they became too soft and break up). So all in all, I only got about 12 whole marron glaces and a whole lot of tiny pieces. However this is not a complete loss, the broken up pieces are delicious served in a Mont Blanc style dessert served as they are on top of a mountain of whipped cream. Trust me, this is heaven. And don’t discard the chestnut flavoured syrup, it’s a wonderful alternative to maple syrup on pancakes or ice cream. In fact I ate it with home made crumpets and my husband concurred that it was a fabulous combination.
This is my last chestnut recipe for this season, I am departing soon to warmer lands for a holiday where chestnuts are out of season. So I shall say a sad goodbye to chestnut and will await your return next Winter!
Marron Glacés (Candied chestnuts)
- 500g Chestnuts (choose the larger type) which for me made 300grams of chesnut meat
- 300g Sugar
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1teaspoon Vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean
1. Start 4 days before you want to use them, as that’s how long the process takes.
2. Peel chestnuts of their outer shell. Drop them into boiling water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon or wire spatula, and, trying to keep the chestnuts whole, peel off both the outer shell and inner skin, as quickly as you can, while they are still hot. Once cold, the skin begins to adhere to the nut, so keep the unpeeled chestnuts in hot water. The broken pieces will taste just as wonderful.
3. When all the chestnuts have been shelled and the membranes removed, using a large pan, cook the sugar, water and the vanilla bean over low heat, stirring all the while until the sugar dissolves. Allow to gently simmer for 5 minutes, then add the chestnuts. Bring to the boil and cook 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean.
Day 3
4. Cover the saucepan and allow to steep over night or at least 12 hours. *Bring again to the boil and cook 1 minute more. Again allow to stand this time for 24 hours*. Repeat again from * to * until all the syrup has been absorbed (shouldn’t take more than 3-4 times). My syrup did not fully absorb after 4 days so I just drained the pieces. Cooking over the time may inhibit the crystallization process – which is dependent on the above steps.
5. Drying process: preheat oven to 65°C (about 150F), cover an oven rack or baking rack with parchment paper (or waxed). Distribute the crystallized chestnuts evenly and allow to dry out for 2 hours with the oven door propped open a few centimeters or until they are firm. I stuck a pair of long tongs in the oven door to prop it ajar a few centimeters.
Baked and ready to eat or store
6. Pack the chestnuts individually in cellophane or saran wrap; put into little crinkle-edge paper sweet cases, and keep in an airtight container. If kept more than a week or so, the sugar in the chestnuts may start to crystallize; in this case, it is better to preserve them in their syrup, draining them before use.
Adapted from recipes:
http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=159366
http://www.epicureantable.com/recipes/C/chestglace.htm
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36 Comments | Add your own
that’s a serious commitment, a four-day venture. i’ve had relationships that didn’t last that long.
good for you, they look yummy.
Hope you have a good holiday, Lorraine! Looking forward to all the food porn pictures
Hi
I just voted for your blog for Bloggers Choice Awards.
Would you please return the favor at:
http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com/blogs/show/21620
Thanks,
SpEdLaw2
Hi grace-I know, what was I thinking? I think I must’ve passed sane a while bac. Having said that, they are really yummy!
Hi Y-Thanks so much! Food porn a plenty coming on up
Hi SpEdLaw2-Thanks for that, will do
Lorraine, your chestnuts recipes are always winners. And we, food bloggers, are a different kind of human being, definitely.
Hi Patricia-Thankyou! Hehe yes that’s what I love about you food bloggers, you don’t look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I take 4 days to make something
Every time I see a tin of chestnut puree I can only think of you Lorraine because you first brought them to my attention
I’m yet to buy a can and yet to make anything of course.. but I plan to because you’ve convinced me that they must be delicious! 
Your recipes and posts are so far from boring.. how do you keep coming up with all of this food uniqueness?! Marron glace’s.. how intriguing!
Hi Maria-Do let me know what you think of it! Have some crepes and whipped cream at the ready, that’s how I like the puree best
or just a spoon, it’s so yummy. I think I read too much food porn 
I’m sure I’ll run out of things though.
And we thought that the chestnut puree was madness!
The maron glaces look wonderful. I never realised that they were made by absorption of syrup. Now that’s interesting! I may have to give these a try in winter.
Hi Angela-Thankyou
I know, I never realised the work that went into them but I guess that’s why they’re so expensive. And how hard it is to get a whole one 
wow, I will have to try this recipe! I have a recipe for chestnut ice cream from Maison du Chocolate, and it calls for marron glaces-and at waaaay too much a can, I’d rather slave for four days to make my own! I’m the guy who once made Maida Heatter’s eight hour cheese cake, so a 4 day recipe??? No biggie
marron glace=holiday feasting.I’d love to make this from scratch one day — but for now will go to my favourite Italian deli at Five Dock for a delicious treat!
Can you please publish the above recipe in Arabic language
I love chestnut season. Luckily my in-laws has chestnut trees on their property and it’s a bumper year for chestnuts so I went mad with them. This is definitely madness and once in life time experience. So much effort for so little!
For those out there wanting to try this yourselves my tip is to use the right chestnut. Just as you would only use certain potatoes for gnocchi, you must also use ‘floury’ chestnuts for marron glacé. I’m not sure what their correct name but it’s the variety that takes less time to cook and crumble when squeezed between your fingers. The other variety that is firmer in texture does not absorb sugar well. I was slaving over the stove for HOURS and still coculdn’t get them to absob the sugar!
Hey, I tried your candied chestnut recipe and it worked really well. My chestnuts fell apart in the end, too, but they were still delicious
The only problem I experienced was that I didn’t know where to get chestnuts. I went to the grocery store and most places didn’t have them and they were really expensive at the one store I did find them at. I ended up ordering them from the Girolami Farms online. The link’s below.
http://www.chestnutsforsale.com/
Thanks! I really love your blog, it’s so informative!
Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful recipe. A friend of mine gave me these marrons glaces as a birthday present: http://www.histoiresucree.com/product_categories/candied_chestnuts.html
So I was able to compare with the ones I made using your recipe.
I must say, they were not as delicious but still pretty good!
how long will the marron glacé keep for once compleated,
i live in a plce where roasted hot chestnuts are sold as side-walk snacks. Can I start with them, thus yaking a short-cut on the marron glace recipe?
thanks,
Andrea
I have been making marron glace’s for over 30 years and it literally took me that many years to perfect it! I now have it down pat, the hardest part for me was removing the pellicle, getting the glaze just right so it looks the consistency of a glazed donut and not drying them out too long so that they get hard. I have been giving them away as gifts for years and they are so appreciated by everyone. One thing that I haven’t figured out yet is why the chestnuts sometimes get hard when you boil them in the syrup! They can be soft going in, but they end up with all these dry spots on them and get hard! If anyone has an answer, please share.
It also makes it easier to peel chestnuts if you score an X into the bottom before putting them in to boil.
I am a third generation Italian–
I remember years ago, I tasted
chestnuts (Castagnas)in a glaze
but I know it had some kind of
Cooked Wine (Vino Coochio) or
Grappa in the mixture !
I have been struggling to try LOTS of ways to get what I want.
My fingers are Killing me !!
I was told to Roast the chestnuts
not boiling them ??? That hurt too !
I really want to get it right before Thankgiving.
Is there anyone out there that knows about this recipe with cooked wine ?? Please Help !!!
I made them and i liked a lot
)
)
thanx a million
see the recipe in Arabic and my pics here
http://www.tmatem.com/TextRecipe.aspx?RecipeID=2627
I made this for my son and his parents.. They loved it.
My son LOVES this. I made it for him and his parents. also his great grandson likes it too.
I trully love maron glace so I think I will give this recipe a try this year. Wish me luck!!
I just found your recipe looking for ideas on what to do with some chestnuts that were in the fridge. Thanks for posting it (I’m on day one) and I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Have you ever used the microwave method of peeling chestnuts as is described in this recipe (The Clark Family’s Traditional Chestnut Stuffing) on the Splendid Table. It really works well for me and they all come out whole and firm. Actually if you want them softer you have to simmer them a little.
Here’s the link:
http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/the_clark_familys_traditional_chestnut_stuffing.html
Hi there,
Do you boil them with the brown shell on? Or do you remove it before boiling? I’m just confused whether by shell you mean the green spiky one or the brown one.
Thanks a lot, can’t wait to try this!
Hi Maria-no you peel their outer brown shell off before you boil them
These are delicious. Just be sure to remove the pellicle completely and to use the floury chestnuts that are larger in size. The four days are well worth it!
I found that the easiest way to partially cook the chestnut, peel the shell and remove the pellicle can be found on U-tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm6_P4_KJT4
The chestnuts did not explode and the shells and pellicles came off easily. If you plan to make marron glace, just simmer the chestnuts for a few minutes. They will split nicely. No need to roast them.
I tried making these once upon a time and failed, so I tried again recently with your recipe. They are DELICIOUS and I have to make myself stop eating them before I can take them to my friends.
However, I tried this with half italian chestnuts and half chestnuts from Chinatown (not sure where they’re actually from), and the skins on the chinese ones refused to come off, so I just candied them in their skin. I think they’re ok, but I’ll remember to only get italian chestnuts next time, or I may experiment with Korean chestnuts.
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