My favorite recipes have a way of making people linger at the table, and Chestnut Pear Parfait encourages exactly that. I love a main course with enough character to carry the whole meal. Once it is in the oven, the kitchen begins to do that wonderful work of building anticipation.
Ingredients
Chestnut date topping
- 3 tbs roasted chestnut
- 1/4 cup roasted hazelnut
- 3 dates
- 1 tsp cacao powder + 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tbs orange zest
Pear topping
- 3 pears pealed, cored and cubed
- 3 tbs maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Cream topping
- Equal parts crème fraîche and ashta (clotted cream ) found in middle eastern market
- Honey to taste
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
Instructions
- This was so good and yummy I had to share,the star of this recipe is the chestnut, which is in season right now and they are absolutely delicious. A good source of vitamins and minerals and a great snack! But wait pair it with 3 dates and hazelnut and it becomes this great topping that you can use on yogurt and oatmeal to make a full meal out of it. I know chestnuts can be a pain to peel, especially the variety here in the USA but in the end it is so worth it.
- To roast the chestnuts, score the shell like a cross and boil in water covered for 30 minutes (this will help loosen the nut from the shell) drain and pat dry, preheat oven to 425 F , spread the nuts on a baking sheet making sure the scoring face up. Bake 15-20 minutes, take out of the oven and cover with a cloth for a couple of minutes and peel.
- ▫️in a food processor combine all ingredients and pulse until combined.
- ▫️in a small pot combine all ingredients except for lemon juice. cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes, the pear will release juices uncovered add lemon juice and continue cooking on medium heat until the juices thicken.
- ▫️whisk everything together.
- Assemble as you like and enjoy 😊.
- 2 servings.