One of the more popular dishes that we serve at La Pastaia Ristorante & Enoteca is Pollo alle Castagne, a great winter dish of chicken paillard, sweet roasted chestnuts, and a savory reduction of stock, fresh herbs and wine. The chestnuts are sweet and moist, and balance the dish perfectly. My affection for chestnuts didn’t begin in New York, or traveling in Italy, but rather with the fact that the nut must be hot in order to get the shell off…there is work involved, and the payoff is worth the price paid. Curtis came up with this beverage for the holidays, and it is a treat. We used a chocolate with an 85% cocoa content, which we thought was great when mixed with the naturally sweet chestnut mousse, but we know that bitter chocolate is not for everybody, so feel free to substitute either a more sweetened chocolate, or add sugar to the beverage, as you would a cup of coffee.

makes about 8 cups

for the Chestnut Mousse

1/2 lb chestnuts (about 2 cups peeled), scored and roasted
2 cinnamon sticks
1 clove
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
1/2 gallon of milk
1/2 pint of heavy cream
pinch of sugar
pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven to 425°. Score the round side of the chestnuts with an x-shape, cutting through the shell to the meat. On a baking sheet, lay out the chestnuts, sprinkle with a little olive oil and sea salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes, but take care not to over roast. Remove from the oven and crack off the skins while hot by wrapping the nut in a towel and squeezing until the shell breaks off, cleaning the meat of any fragments. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, sea salt, cinnamon sticks, clove and chestnuts to a simmer for about 20 minutes, until milk is reduced by half and chestnuts are soft. Remove the cinnamon sticks and clove, and purée the mixture until very smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and refrigerate for an hour.

In a bowl combine the cream, sugar, nutmeg and whip to soft peeks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chestnut mixture. Chill for 2 hours, or overnight if possible.

for the Hot Cocoa
7 oz chocolate (we used Green & Blacks Organic 85% cocoa
cream
pinch sea salt
1/2 gallon of milk
sugar to taste (optional)

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, sea salt and a splash of cream. In another sauce pan, heat the milk on a low heat. Combine the chocolate and the heated milk in a blender, and give it a quick pulse or two so that the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is light and airy.

Assemble the drink by pouring the hot cocoa into a cup or mug. Place a dollop of the chestnut mousse on the top. Garnish with a bit of orange zest and cocoa nibs if available.