Fertility & Maternity Recipes

Chestnut puree / Mount Blanc Dessert

Chestnut puree truffle

Chestnuts are packed with protein, fat, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamins that are essential during pregnancy. These nutrients help to regulate blood flow as well as promoting better bones and reduce fatigue during pregnancy.

Chestnut puree is very easy to make from fresh chestnuts. They can be frozen after being picked in Autumn for use over winter.

Ingredient

• 500g chestnuts (peeled)
• 50-80ml full-fat milk
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Boil peeled chestnuts in hot water in a saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook till soft.
3. Drain chestnuts and let them cool.
4. Mash chestnuts with milk (quantity according to the texture you prefer, the more the lighter the puree).
5. Pipe over the tart/biscuit base for Mount Blanc dessert, to make chestnut puree truffle, or fresh cream sponge cake.

A cake I made with fresh cream and chestnut puree.

If foraging, pureeing, and baking all seemed a bit too much for you. Why not include chestnuts as snacks as part of your healthy diet?

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Raising Children

Sweet Chestnuts foraging

Sweet chestnuts with prickly cases and tails

October is the perfect time to forage for sweet chestnut in your local woods. They are tasty for savory or sweet dishes and highly nutritious for growing children. 

Collecting Sweet Chestnuts

Conkers are mildly poisonous, therefore the last thing we want is to get horse chestnuts and sweet chestnuts mixed up. You tend to find fallen horse chestnuts starting in August through September, whilst chestnuts usually start falling towards the end of September. The key to identifying their difference is to look at their cases. Sweet chestnuts look green sea urchin while on the tree and usually turn brown by the time they fall. They are prickly and sharp to touch and always have a tail at the end of each nut.

Horse chestnuts with thorny cases and no tails.

Conkers have only short thorny cases, they are usually quite large and with no tails. It's not difficult to differentiate between the two when you know what to look for.

It really is a fun day out in autumn and the kids get to understand where food comes from. I normally grab a load of them and freeze them for use throughout winter. I will be sharing some recipes using my own foraged chestnuts too.