Looking for something unique, something precious that is not meant to be average but a special one? Mount Blanc dessert is even more of that!
Course Dessert
Cuisine French, Sugar free recipe
Prep Time 2 hourshours
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 3 hourshours
Ingredients
Chestnut puree
1lbChestnut
2cupsWater
Meringue
2mediumEggs
1teaspoonLemon juice
1tablespoonHoney or sweetener of choice
Base
1¼cupFlour
1teaspoonBaking powderfollow instruction on packaging
5tablespoonsButter
1mediumEgg
1tablespoonWater
Cream
2cupsWhipping cream
1tablespoonHoney or sweetener of choice
½teaspoonVanilla extract
Instructions
Chestnut Puree
Make a shallow incision with a small, sharp knife in a crisscross manner preferably on both side. This will help the chestnuts cook quicker, it will keep them from exploding and make them easier to peel.
Some chestnuts don’t like to be peeled so we may need more advanced techniques to get their skin off. Precook the chestnuts in boiling water for 3 – 5 minutes.
Transfer them onto a baking tray then put them into a 390°F / 200°C preheated oven to roast them for 25-30 minutes.
Peel the chestnuts.
Transfer them into a food processor with two cups of water. Puree them well. Add water to the puree if required to get a solid paste that will be able squeeze through the piping bag. It will get more solid when cooled down but mind not to get it runny.
For best results the puree should be pressed through a sieve as to not to block the piping bag when making the mountain side but if we feel lucky just skip this step.
Chestnut puree is done. If we don’t want to go through the hassle of making the Mount Blanc dessert, just press some chestnut puree through a vermicelli press or potato ricer for fancy looking strings. Top it with some vanilla whipped cream and enjoy as it is.
Meringues
Beat two egg whites until hard peaks form. Beat the lemon juice and honey or sweetener of choice with it.
Fill the egg whites into a piping bag or tool and create 1½" / 4cm diameter and 2" / 5 cm high meringues. Or something similar to that.
Place them in the oven until golden brown color starts to appear on the edges. It takes about an hour at 225°F / 105°C.
Base
Start making the base for the Mount Blanc by mixing together the flour, baking powder, butter, egg and a bit of water by hand. If the mixture feels dry just add bit more butter, milk or water to it in tiny amounts until it gets together into a ball.
If there is time, put the dough into the fridge to chill a bit. If time is short start making the base by rolling out the dough into a lightly floured surface. Cut the base out by a cookie cutter, special tool made for this task only. Or with a large cup.
Bake them in 350°F / 180°C preheated oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cream
Whip cream with sweetener and vanilla then fill it in a piping bag.
Assembly
When the cookies are cool enough place the meringue in the middle.
Start applying the cream around the meringue with the piping bag in a spiral from the bottom to the top.
When the cream is done, fill a piping bag with the chestnut puree and pray that small bits won't block the piping head then apply the chestnut cream in the same spiral form around the cream.