Chestnut Pudding
By: Anonymous
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010 - 2:39pm

Ingredients




500 grams Fresh chestnuts or 435g, (15z) can of unsweetened chestn
100 grams Deluxe plain chocolate, broken into pieces (31/2oz)
75 grams Butter, (3oz)
75 grams Light brown soft sugar, (3oz)
50 grams Chopped mixed peel or roughly chopped, (2oz) glace cherries
A few drops of vanilla flavourings

Preparation

1 If using fresh chestnuts, slit the skins and cook them in boiling water for 15-20 minutes. 2 Drain the chestnuts and peel them while they are still hot. 3 If they start to cool and become difficult to peel, return them to the saucepan with some fresh water and bring back to the boil. 4 Mash the chestnuts or puree them in a blender or food processor. 5 Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a heatproof bowl, stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat gently, stirring, until melted and smooth. 6 Add the chestnut puree to the chocolate mixture with the chopped peel or cherries and vanilla flavouring. Mix together well, then press into a lightly greased mould, such as a 500g (1lb) loaf tin or pudding basin, or a small (15-18cm/6-7-inch) souffle dish. 7 Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight until firm. 8 Turn the pudding out of the mould and cut it into slices to serve. 9 NOTES : This heavy, sticky pudding comes from the Garfagnana, where the steep mountainsides are still covered by ancient beech and chestnut woods. If you are in a hurry, you can use canned chestnut puree, but the best results are obtained with fresh chestnuts. Serve it with ricotta or Greek-style yogurt.