chestnut liqeur

[Jasmine.]

Has anyone ever made chestnut liqueur? I had a drink a few years ago called the "Ice Cap" made with it and I still crave it this time of year.

[Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle]

Jasmine at Food.com wrote:
Has anyone ever made chesnut liqueur? I had a drink a few years ago called the "Ice Cap" made with it and I still crave it this time of year.

I Googled! How to Make Chestnut Liqueur

[Jasmine.]

Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle wrote:

Jasmine at Food.com wrote:
Has anyone ever made chestnut liqueur? I had a drink a few years ago called the "Ice Cap" made with it and I still crave it this time of year.

I Googled! How to Make Chestnut Liqueur

I saw that. I am a little intimidated by peeling chestnuts. One year I tried roasting chestnuts in the oven and removing all the shells was tough. Maybe rubber gloves will help?

Thanks!
J

[Dee514]

Jasmine at Food.com wrote:

Kerfuffle-Upon-Wincle wrote:

Jasmine at Food.com wrote:
Has anyone ever made chestnut liqueur? I had a drink a few years ago called the "Ice Cap" made with it and I still crave it this time of year.

I Googled! How to Make Chestnut Liqueur

I saw that. I am a little intimidated by peeling chestnuts. One year I tried roasting chestnuts in the oven and removing all the shells was tough. Maybe rubber gloves will help?

Thanks!
J

The easiest way to peel boiled chestnuts is to:

Using a chestnut knife or the tip of a sharp knife (very carefully) cut a horizontal line around the middle (width) of the chestnut on the rounded (not the flat) side. Try not to cut through the flesh of the chestnut - just the shell.
Place the prepared nuts in very hot water to soak for about 20 minutes, remove from water and peel them, or you can cut them as described above, and then boil the large ones for about 7 1/2 minutes (smaller ones for 7 1/4 minutes), they should peel easily after that. Chestnuts can be difficult to peel
a- if they are old
b- if they are over cooked

To roast them, follow the directions for cutting and soaking them - then put them in a metal pan in a 425F oven to roast for about 20 minutes, remove from oven and wrap tightly in a towel for 10 minutes, unwrap chestnuts, peel and enjoy!

Just a note: Although chestnuts are good when boiled or microwaved (especially if using them for other recipes), they are great and really taste best/sweeter when roasted if you are going to eat them out of hand!

Somewhere in the house I do have my grandmother's recipe (actually it was my grandfather's recipe) for making chestnut liqueur....if I come across it, I will post it to this thread.

[Zeldaz]

You can also get chestnuts in cans and bottles, but they re pretty costly IF you can find them!

[Dee514]

Canned and bottled chestnuts are fine for use in recipes - for making liqueur, you really need fresh ones because the flavor is better (at the very least frozen ones)

Marrons (aka Spanish chestnuts) are larger, only have one kernel per burr, are much sweeter and much more easily peeled.
Marrons have a triangle base and a heart shape, they are bigger than other chestnuts and the shell is darker and shiny, tending to reddish in color.
You can probably use frozen (already peeled) marrons for making chestnut liqueur (or in any recipe for that matter) if you do not want to peel them yourself.

Homemade Chestnut Liqueur

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 quart water
1/2 quart cognac or brandy
4.5 pounds peeled marrons
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves

With a chestnut knife, peel off the outer skins of the chestnuts, without nicking the inner skins, and set them in a large pot of cold water, with the bay leaf and the cloves.

After peeling the chestnuts, put the pot of water up to boil slowly - cook the chestnuts for about 25 minutes.

Remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon, put them on a plate to cool.
While they are still warm, use a thin bladed knife to remove the inner skins, being careful because the chestnuts will be crumbly.

Mix the sugar and water in a large pot and bring it to a boil (skim foam that comes to surface), let the syrup boil for about 6-8 minutes.
Add the chestnuts to the syrup - simmer them over a very low flame for about 5 minutes - do not stir them.

When everything has cooled, remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon.
Layer them in the bottom of a wide-mouthed jar.
Return the pot to the fire and bring the syrup back to a boil. Skim the foam a few more times - stir in the cognac or brandy, and let it cool to room temperature.
When the syrup it has cooled, gently pour it over the chestnuts.
Add more cognac/brandy to cover the chestnuts (if needed).
Seal the jar with a lid, and keep it in a cool dark place for at least two weeks.

[1Steve]

Were you really asking how to make it? Or just whether it can be had? When I googled it quite a few brands of the ready made stuff came up. So I should think your local Liquor store can order it for you.