Fire Roasted Chestnut Caramel Cookies Recipes

AUNT GISELE'S CARAMEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1-inch jelly roll pan; set aside.
• Combine the butter, yolks, sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix until you form a cohesive ball of dough. Spread the dough onto the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile cook the almonds, sugar, butter, honey and milk, stirring on occasion, until the mixture is light golden.
• Remove baked dough; spread almonds mixture over the top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer until dark golden. Cool and cut into squares or rectangles (be sure to cut the cookies before they turn too hard.)

SESAME CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN CUPCAKES (CHESTNUT CARAMEL CAKE WITH BLACK SESAME CREAM AND CHESTNUT CREAM FROSTING WITH BLACK AND WHITE SESAME CHOPSTICKS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a regular-size cupcake or muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Combine the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and then add the vanilla and egg mixture, one egg at a time, with the mixer on low speed. Add the Caramel. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again, and then increase the speed to medium and combine thoroughly. With the mixer the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and the sour cream, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix only until just combined, do not over-mix.
• Fill the cupcake liners with a 16-size ice cream scoop, or about half full, and bake until dark golden and baked through, about 15 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
• To assemble: Core each cupcake using an apple corer. Fill each cupcake with the Black Sesame Pastry Cream and generously frost with the Chestnut Cream Frosting so that the frosting resembles a mountain of noodles. Top each cupcake with a pair of the Black and White Sesame Chopsticks.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or preferably an unlined copper pot), combine the sugar with 4 tablespoons water to moisten. Place over medium-high heat and, without stirring, cook until the sugar is dark amber in color. Meanwhile, place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and warm to a simmer. Turn off the heat on the caramelized sugar and slowly add the warmed cream while stirring the caramel with a wooden spoon. Be careful as the mixture will splatter. Allow to thicken slightly over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice if using. Cool completely.
• Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the yolks with the sugar and cornstarch until smooth and well blended. While whisking, slowly pour in one-quarter of the milk into the yolk mixture to temper the yolks. Add the remainder of the milk, while whisking. Pour back into the saucepan and place on medium heat. Whisk vigorously and constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter, piece by piece. Add the tahini and black sesame powder, and whisk to blend. Cool completely.
• Cream together the chestnut paste and chestnut puree in a food processor fitted with a metal blade until smooth. Add the softened butter, powdered sugar, rum and vanilla extract, and continue to process until well blended. If chunks remain, press the cream through a fine sieve to remove any large chestnut chunks. Place the cream in a piping bag with a "spaghetti" tip.
• Line a half sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Coat the paper with cooking spray. Coat a wide spatula and a rolling pin with cooking spray.
• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan or unlined copper pot, combine the sugar, vinegar and 1 teaspoon water. Cook over low heat until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick. Stir a little. Cook until the sugar reaches 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. At this point, add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon. Quickly scrape the mixture onto the parchment and spread evenly, first with the prepared spatula and next with the rolling pin. The desired thickness is about 1/16-inch thick. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Cut the candy into 12 chopstick shapes, each about 3 inches long, with the aid of a Chinese cleaver and a heavy pan. This technique makes cutting easier, even when the candy gets a bit hard. Let the candy cool completely.

CARAMELIZED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake chestnuts on a baking sheet in middle of oven until slightly dried and a shade darker, about 30 minutes. Cool chestnuts completely on a rack.
• Cook sugar in a dry 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling and shaking skillet (to help sugar melt evenly), until caramel is deep golden. Remove from heat, then prop skillet up against a ramekin or metal cookie cutter, tilting it just enough for caramel to pool. Add 1 chestnut to caramel and evenly coat by turning with 2 forks, then transfer with forks to a sheet of foil to cool. Coat remaining chestnuts in same manner. (If caramel starts to harden, melt over moderately low heat, stirring.) Once completely cooled, peel chestnuts from foil.

CHESTNUTS ROASTED ON AN OPEN FIRE

Steps:

• Take a cheap old frying pan, and using a hammer and large nail, or drill bit, make about 10 holes in the bottom.
• Put an X in the skin of each chestnut. Heat pan over flame. Add chestnuts and using a spray bottle, spray with water.
• Return to flame, shake pan slowly and constantly for about 15 min., occasionally spritzing with more water. (will require more yuletide songs).
• Place chestnuts into large metal bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss. Place chestnuts into 8 small brown bags, sprinkle a dash more salt into bag, and serve. (or sell em on the street corner for a nickel like they did in the ol' days)!