“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” conjures magical scenes of Christmas but how about “chestnuts roasting on your grill”? Ok, it hasn’t got that ring to it but nevertheless it will evoke Christmas to everyone around you. Winter is a great time of year to experiment with new foods outside. If you’re lucky enough to have any chestnut trees near you, please go foraging, it’s really worth it; if not, bags of chestnuts can be purchased just as readily in most supermarkets this time of year.

Ingredients

300g roasted chestnuts

50ml maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp sea salt

Method

Smoked Roasted chestnuts

1. Wash and dry the chestnuts. Using a sharp knife, carefully make a small slit just through the surface of the skin on one side of the chestnut

2. Pre-heat your barbecue to 200°C. Place the chestnuts in a skillet or flat roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes.

3. Remove chestnuts from the barbecue. Cover the nuts with some baking paper and a tea towel. This will allow them to sweat as they’re cooling, which helps with removal of the shells and inner skin.

4. When cool enough to the touch shell, remove the outer skin and loose inner skin, this can be aided with a paring knife.

Butter

1. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth, or to your preferred texture.

2. Spoon into a jar and store in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

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