Instructions: 1. Halve chestnuts with a heavy knife or cleaver. Place in a very large skillet or saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the shells can easily be removed.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Remove chestnuts, a few at a time, from the water. Peel off shells and husks, then place nuts in a large heavy saucepan. Add water, sugar, and vanilla bean to the pan and stir to mix in the sugar. The liquid should just cover the chestnuts. (Add more water if it doesnt.)

4. Bake uncovered for 2 to 3 hours. (Time will vary considerably, depending upon dryness of the nuts.) Stir nuts every 30 minutes, adding water, if necessary, until they are very tender and the syrup is very thick.

5. Let chestnuts cool completely in the syrup, then puree them in batches in a food processor or blender, adding milk or cream if you want to have a thinner puree. Press the entire mixture through the fine disc of a food mill. Divide the puree among 1- or 2-cup freezer containers. Seal, date, and freeze.

Store-Bought: A Cookbook (NY: Harper & Row, 1979,

This recipe is for a chestnut puree
that may be served as-is or combined with liquors, creams, custards, and the like to make more elaborate preparations an all-purpose chestnut dessert base, in other words.

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