Fired up over chestnuts

While the closest many of us come to chestnuts roasting on an open fire comes in the form of singing the lyrics from the popular holiday song, Sean Eastwood knows them all too well.

Growing up in Blackpool, on London's south side, Eastwood says cool weather brought the aroma of chestnuts roasting from the nearby Preston Market.

"We'd go to the market, not far from my hometown, and you could smell the chestnuts roasting," says Eastwood. "It was quite a big treat for us."

Now a chef, Eastwood strives to share those childhood memories with diners at Isabella's Estiatorio in Geneva and OLO in Chicago. This time of year roasted chestnuts show up all over the menu - in soups, entrees and desserts.

"When we put chestnuts on the menu, they conjure romantic visions of holidays out of Charles Dickens, winter walks in Manhattan and songs about open fires," Eastwood says.

At Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, you'll find chestnuts in cakes, stuffing and, no kidding, roasting over an open fire in Seasons Lounge. Freshly roasted nuts are available from 5 to 7 p.m. daily through the holidays.

"We roast them in the fireplace in the lounge," chef Kevin Hickey says. "It's so cozy and inviting; you have to pop them into your mouth."

But before those chestnuts get to the plate, there's a bit of work involved.

"They're incredibly labor intensive, for sure, but they're worth it," Eastwood says.

Hickey agrees.

"They're easier to work with than people think," Hickey claims. He says cooks use a chestnut knife that has a short, curved blade to score the flatter end of the nut. He then soaks them overnight in water before roasting them.

At Isabella's, Eastwood shortens the time frame by putting them into a saucepan with enough water to cover and bringing them to a boil.

"We let the chestnuts simmer until they are tender when pierced with a knife," Eastwood explains. "When done, we drain them, and put one chestnut at a time into a clean kitchen towel and peel off the outer shell and inner skin. It's necessary to work quickly, however, as they become harder to peel as they cool off. If the chestnuts become too difficult to peel, simply reheat them and proceed with the peeling."

If you don't want to invest the time, Eastwood suggests opting for frozen chestnuts over canned ones. He says he finds the syrup unappealing and the nut texture too soft.

Chestnut and Parsnip Soup

11/2 pounds parsnips

1/2 pound leeks

1/2 pound shallots

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 cup blanched chestnuts

1/2 cup brandy

2 quarts chicken broth

11/2 pints heavy cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and dice the parsnips into 1/2-inch pieces and roast until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Thinly slice the shallots and leeks and add to a sauce pan with butter. Cook slowly until translucent; add chopped garlic and continue until the garlic is soft.

Add the roasted parsnips and chestnuts, add the brandy and continue cooking until the brandy is reduced by half.

Add the chicken broth and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking for 20 minutes until parsnips and chestnuts are tender. Blend in a food processor until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves eight.

Chef Sean Eastwood, Isabella's Estiatorio, Geneva

Bacon-wrapped Duck Breast Stuffed with Apples and

Roasted Apples

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges

12-16 peeled whole chestnuts, fresh or frozen

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Duck breasts

4 boneless, skinless duck breast halves (about 6 ounces each), butterflied

24 thin slices bacon (see note)

1/4 cup grape seed or olive oil

For the apples: Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the butter, water, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the apples and toss to coat. Spread the apples out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. Add the chestnuts and roast for 10 minutes or more, or until the apples and chestnuts begin to brown and the butter and water have been absorbed. Remove from the oven, toss with the thyme, and set aside to cool. This can be made the day before serving.

For the duck: To butterfly the breasts, first remove the skin, and then, with a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, make a horizontal cut along the rounded, thinner side of the breast. Spread the breast open so it forms a heart shape. Working with 1 breast at a time, spread butterflied breast, skin side down, on a work surface.

Place 4 apple wedges down along the center and fill in between with the chestnuts, using about 4 per breast. Fold the breast meat over onto itself to form a roll. Place 4 lengthwise slices of bacon, overlapping, on the work surface and place 2 slices perpendicular to the other so they overlap by 1 inch to form a cross. Place a duck breast in the center, parallel to the 2 bacon slices, fold the bacon over the duck, and then roll it up to make a neat package. Repeat with the remaining breasts and bacon. Once wrapped with the bacon, the breasts can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours, but any longer and the bacon will begin to cure and discolor the meat.

To cook: Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large ovenproof saute pan. Carefully place the bacon-wrapped duck breasts in the pan and cook on all sides for about 6 minutes to render and brown the bacon. Drain off most of the fat from the pan and put into the oven to finish the cooking, about 15 minutes for medium-rare. Remove the pan from the oven and let the duck breasts rest for 5-8 minutes.

To serve: Trim off about 1/4 inch from the ends of each duck breast, and then cut each breast crosswise in half.

Serves four.

Cook's note: At the restaurant, we slice the breast and serve over celery puree with caramelized honey crisp apples, a ragout of wild mushrooms, and a cider duck jus.

Boneless Long Island or Pekin duck breasts are the perfect size for this recipe; avoid larger, gamier Muscovy or Moulard breast because they're too big. You can find boneless duck breasts in many good butcher shops, or by mail order. If you're good with a knife, purchase several ducks when they're on sale and bone them yourself. Use the legs to make confit or for a braised duck dish and use the carcasses to make flavorful duck stock.

It's important for the bacon to be sliced superthin so that it wraps easily around the duck, sticks to itself, and renders quickly, leaving only a crisp trace of flavor. Our first choice is apple wood-smoked bacon. Buy a slab and slice it at home, or find a butcher who will slice the bacon for you.

Chef Sean Eastwood, Isabella's Estiatorio, Geneva

Chocolate Chestnut Soup

2 pounds chestnuts, peeled

3/4 cup sugar, or to taste

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup amaretto

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Put chestnuts in water to cover, simmer until tender. Drain and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add sugar, cocoa and amaretto; process until smooth and well combined.

Beat heavy cream until stiff. Fold into chestnut puree. Divide among desert glasses. Chill until set.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Serves 10.

Cook's note: Try this mousse as filling between multiple very thin layers of pound cake and then drizzled with sweetened raspberry puree.

Demarvelous Chestnuts, Townsend, Del.

Apple Chestnut Mini Muffins

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chestnuts, peeled and chopped fine

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and grated

11/2 cups wheat flour

1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

1/3 cup chestnuts, chopped fine

1/2 cup brown sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray three mini-muffin tins with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, beat egg; stir in milk, oil, chestnuts and apple. Stir in remaining ingredients until just moist. Fill muffin cups about three-quarters full.

For the topping: In a small bowl, thoroughly mix chopped chestnuts and brown sugar. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon topping on each.

Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately remove from pans to a rack to cool.

Makes 36.

Cook's note: Substitute all-purpose flour for half of the whole wheat flour.

Adapted from Allen Creek Farm Chestnuts, chestnutsonline.com

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