Tart with Chestnut Cream

The tart with chestnut cream is a delicious dessert that combines the sweetness of chestnuts with the crispiness of shortcrust pastry. Here is the recipe for you:

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

• 300 g of type 00 flour
• 150 g of cold butter, cut into pieces
• 120 g of icing sugar
• 1 whole egg and 1 yolk
• A pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Ingredients for the chestnut cream:

• 400 g of peeled chestnuts (or you could use ready-made chestnut cream)
• 200 ml of milk
• 100 g of sugar (or to taste, depending on the desired sweetness)
• 1 vanilla pod or vanilla extract
• 50 g of butter

Preparation

1. For the shortcrust pastry: In a bowl, place the flour and the cold butter. Work with the fingertips until you get a sandy mixture.
2. Add the icing sugar, the whole egg, the yolk, a pinch of salt, and the grated lemon zest. Knead the dough quickly until it is smooth, then wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
3. For the chestnut cream: If starting from whole chestnuts, score them with a knife and boil them in water for about 40 minutes. Drain and peel them while still hot, removing both the outer and inner skins.
4. Put the chestnuts in a pot with the milk, sugar, and split vanilla pod. Cook over low heat until the chestnuts are completely soft, then remove the vanilla pod.
5. Mash the mixture with a food mill or blend it with an immersion blender until it becomes a smooth cream. Add the butter in pieces and mix until fully absorbed.
6. Take the shortcrust pastry from the fridge, roll out two-thirds of the dough and line the bottom and sides of a tart tin. Prick the base with a fork.
7. Pour the chestnut cream onto the pastry base and spread with a spatula.
8. With the remaining pastry, create strips or decorations to your liking to put on top of the chestnut cream.
9. Bake the tart in an already hot oven at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
10. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Curiosities

Chestnut cream is a typical preparation of autumn and winter, and it is often enriched with rum or cocoa for variations on the theme. Its dense consistency and sweet, earthy flavor make it an ideal filling for the tart, which finds lovers all over Italy.

I suggest you serve this tart accompanied by a nice glass of Vin Santo or, if you prefer something more full-bodied and warm, a good chestnut liqueur. Enjoy your meal!