LCBO Food & Drink Holiday 2023

ROASTING 101 You can purchase prepared chestnuts in vacuum-sealed packages, but it’s not half as much fun as following Nat King Cole’s lead. Roasting chestnuts over an open fire really is as nice as it sounds. If you’d like to prepare your own for use in recipes, 1 lb (455 g) shell-on chestnuts will yield about 12 oz (340 g) roasted peeled chestnuts. Begin by soaking your chestnuts in cool water for 2 hours. Next, cut a shal low slash across the full width of the curved side of each shell—a serrated knife will work, but it can be clumsy (and a little dangerous!); if you have a pair of very sharp-tipped scissors use those instead. Open the scissors, place blade tips on opposite edges of the convex side of the shell, then close your scissors to cut. Place chestnuts in a single layer in a cast-iron skillet. Clear an area adjacent to the coals on the floor of your fireplace. Slide your pan in and roast the chestnuts for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring with your fireplace poker every few minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they smell fragrant and the shells have split along the cut revealing the nut inside. Alternatively, roast them on the lower rack of a 450°F (232°C) oven for the same length of time.

Once cool enough to handle, remove the shell and tough brown skin. Serve them with flaky salt and snifters of your favourite brown spirit.

FOOD & DRINK HOLIDAY 2023 131