Chestnut bûche + chestnut milk

"J'étais si près de toi que j'ai froid près des autres"

From "Ma morte vivante" in Le Temps Déborde, Paul Éluard

My grandmother is one hell of a baker and has the sweetest tooth (and happens to be a beetroot addict, just like me). From those two qualities, were born the best (and simplest, probably why I like them so much) cakes. (And her water kefir!)

One of the family traditions is to eat chestnut bûche on New Year's day in her small dining room, crowded for the occasion (she's got 7 children and, well, a lot of grandchildren). Her bûche is dense and thick and best served in super thin slices. I've contemplated making a version I could eat for a few years. Last month, I stumbled upon Karen's recipe for a chocolate/hazelnut bûche and adapted it to reach my grandmother's chesnut-y perfection. Nobody guessed the secret ingredient and nobody missed the butter. That's a win. Apparently it's a popular recipe as Rose and Hélène have also made their own versions : the first is made with crème de marron (remember my blondies?) and the latter with sweet potato and hazelnut butter (oh dear!).

Compared to the other bûches I've mentioned above, this one is denser and a bit drier (because I use chestnuts). It's meant to be this way. You can smooth out the bûche and decorate with raw cacao, as Rose and Hélène have done. I've kept to the ridges my grandmother makes on her bûche (my goal was to deceive!).

I've tried making chestnut milk without blending it and the result is slightly floury but I didn't mind as I'm used to chestnut milk in powdered form. I tend not to sweeten my homemade milks as I use them both for savoury and sweet dishes but you can add a few dates before blending the milk to sweeten it.

Chestnut milk
(vegan, grain-free)

40 g chestnut flour
1 L water (filtered is best)

In a pot, whisk chestnut flour and water until well combined. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken. Place in blender and blitz a few times. Strain the milk through a very fine sieve or a cheesecloth. Keep in glass bottle (that has been rinsed in very hot water) for 3-4 days.

Chestnut bûche
(vegan, grain-free)
(adapted from this recipe)

650 g fresh chestnuts, cooked and peeled (about 900 g raw chesntuts)*
500 g Red kuri squash or Kabosha or Buttternut
60 g coconut oil, liquid
200 g dark chocolate
5 prunes
5 cl chestnut milk

Using a ricer, purée 500 g of the chetsnuts. Mash the remaining chestnuts with a potato masher to yield small pieces. (If you want a smooth texture without pieces of chesnuts, purée all the chestnuts very finely, either using a ricer or a blender for a super smooth texture). Set aside.

Cook the squash in water. Blend it with the prunes until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix the chestnut purée, chestnut pieces and the squash + prunes mixture until well combined. Pour in the melted chocolate, coconut oil and chestnut milk and mix well. Depending on how dry your chestnuts are, you might need to adjust the chestnut milk amount. In a cake mould lined with foil, scoop mixture with a spatula and press well. Let set in fridge overnight. 

*To peel chestnuts, proceed this way : first remove the outer shell (it should be easy), then place chestnuts in boiling water and let simmer for 15 minutes. Using a knife, peel the inner skin while the chesnuts are still hot. It's best to work in small batches so they remain hot. 

Lait de châtaigne
(sans gluten)

40 g chestnut flour
1 L water (filtered is best)

Dans une casserole, fouetter l'eau et la farine de châtaigne jusqu'à ce que cette dernière soit dissoute. Porter à ébullition et laisser mijoter 3-4 minutes jusqu'à ce que le mélange épaississe. Verser dans un blender et mixer quelques fois. Filtrer au tamis très fin ou à l'étamine. Conserver dans une bouteille en verre (préalablement ébouillantée) pendant 3-4 jours.

Bûche aux marrons
(adaptée de cette recette)

650 g châtaignes, épluchées et cuites (équivaut à environ 900 g de châtaignes crues)*
500 g potimarron ou courge Butternut
60 g huile de coco, liquide
200 g chocolat noir
5 pruneaux
5 cl lait de châtaigne

En utilisant un moulin à légumes, réduire en purée 500 g de châtaigne. Écraser le reste des châtaignes au presse-purée pour obtenir des petits morceaux (pour obtenir une consistance lisse, passer l'intégralité des châtaignes au moulin à légumes ou au blender). Réserver.

Cuire le potimarron à l'eau. Mixer au blender avec les pruneaux.

Dans un saladier, mélanger la purée de châtaigne, les morceaux de châtaignes et le potimarron jusqu'à ce qu le mélange soit homogène. Ajouter le chocolat fondu, l'huile de coco et le lait de châtaigne. Si les châtaignes étaient un peu sèches, rajouter un peu plus de lait.
Transférer dans un moule à cake tapissé de papier d'aluminium et bien presser et lisser le dessus avec une spatule. Réserver au réfrigérateur la nuit.

* Pour éplucher les châtaigne, procéder ainsi : d'abord enlever la première peau (assez facile), puis les mettre dans une casserole d'eau bouillante et mijoter pendant 15 minutes. En utilisant un couteau, éplucher la deuxième peau pendant qu'elles sont encore chaudes. C'est mieux d'enlever les châtaignes de la casserole petit à petit pour qu'elles restent chaudes.