Low-fat Christmas recipe for 4 - 8 people, takes only 40 mins; recipe has chestnut, orange, vanilla pod, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and cointreau.
Chestnuts in Cointreau & orange syrup
Course: Low-fat Christmas
Servings
4 - 8
servings
Prep time
30 mins
Ingredients
- Orange: 1 orange
- Granulated Sugar: 250g granulated sugar
- Vanilla Pod: 1 vanilla pod
- Chestnut: 1 1/2 kg chestnuts in shells, or 800g prepared chestnuts (vacuum-packed or from a jar)
- Light Brown Sugar: 250g light brown sugar
- Cointreau: 100ml Cointreau
Directions
- To peel the chestnuts, cut a nick in each one on the flat side. Put 6 on a plate and microwave for 1 min on High. Then, wearing rubber gloves, peel off the outer skin and inner brown membrane. Continue until all the chestnuts are peeled. (If you don't have a microwave, you can roast the chestnuts in the oven at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 15-20 mins.) Put them in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 25 mins. Drain well.
- Pare thin strips of zest from the orange using a vegetable peeler. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways. Put the orange strips, vanilla pod, sugars and 400ml water in a pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for about 15 mins until syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the Cointreau.
- Pack the prepared chestnuts into sterilised jars (see below) and pour over the syrup to cover. Seal the jars. The chestnuts will keep in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
