[2] Before roasting, make a cut in the shell so the steam can escape (photo © Chef Eddy).

[3] You can roast the chestnuts in the oven, on the stovetop, or on a grill (photo © Sid Wainer).

[4] The husk of the chestnut, also called the burr, is bright green and snazzy (photo © Umami Information Center | Facebook).

You don’t need a working fireplace to roast the chestnuts. Back in the old days, the fireplace was the only source of heat in the kitchen. Today, we have other options.

You can roast chestnuts in the oven in a pan, or on the stovetop with a special chestnut roasting pan. A chestnut roasting kit, complete with two pounds of chestnuts, is available at Melissas.com and elsewhere. It makes a nice family gift.

Compared to other nuts, chestnuts are composed chiefly of starch; other nuts have a larger percentage of protein.

The nutritional composition of chestnuts is similar to that of other starchy foods—corn, plantains, potatoes, etc. Yet, they are a better-for-you snack, a good source of minerals, vitamins, and some high-quality protein.

December 14th is Roast Chestnuts Day.
 
 
HOW TO ROAST CHESTNUTS

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cut an X on the flat side of each nut using a small, sharp knife. Be careful not to cut into the nutmeat.

2. OVEN ROASTING: Place the nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet and roast until the scored portions begin to curl up and the nuts release their fragrance, 15 to 20 minutes.

CHESTNUT PAN ROASTING: Heat the pan over medium-low heat and add the chestnuts. Cook, tossing the chestnuts frequently until the shells crack and the chestnuts are cooked through. The timing is 30 to 35 minutes over a gas flame burner or 35 to 40 minutes over an electric or induction burner.

3. REMOVE the nuts to a plate and eat immediately. Peeling the nuts is part of the fun, and each person may want to peel his or her own (or, you can peel all of them in the kitchen before serving). However, they are hot.

If the nuts are very hot, pick up individual nuts using a kitchen towel or other protection. Then with fingers or a knife, peel away the shell. Remove the inner skin, pop a nut into your mouth and enjoy.
 
 
THE CHRISTMAS SONG: LYRICS

“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” is the informal name of “The Christmas Song”; it was originally subtitled “Merry Christmas to You.” This Christmas classic was composed by Mel Torme and Bob Wells in 1946.

The most popular recording remains the first one, recorded by Nat King Cole. Here’s Nat King Cole on YouTube—the vocal track over a Christmas tree and fireplace visual.

You can sing along:

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa’s on his way;
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother’s child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you.
 
 
 

A tasty, gluten-free snack—organic and
kosher, too. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

They’re airy, peanutty, kosher, gluten free and organic.

The ingredients are simple: organic corn, organic palm oil, organic peanut butter and salt. Produced by Hasadeh Organic, the melt-in-your-mouth snack is good for everyone from toddlers to grown-ups.

The bags, graced with a humorous monkey juggling peanuts, make fun stocking stuffers and party favors.

The snacks are gluten free certified by Gluten Free Certification Organization, and certified kosher (parve) by OU.

 
Learn more at CheekyMonkeyOrganic.com.

Warm up his—and your—taste buds with J&D’s Sriracha Candy Canes. Sriracha, the popular Thai hot sauce has been used to create a fiery candy cane for those who like heat with their sweet.

Give a box to heat-loving friends, serve them crushed over ice cream or hot chocolate, or use them as as a spicy-sweet holiday cocktail stirrer.

Each box has 12 individually wrapped sriracha candy canes, $7.99 at BaconSalt.com.

They’re made by J&D Foods, the people who brought you bacon salt and our beloved Baconaise (which you can also purchase on the website).

We like to add a sprinkle of “Christmas dust” to holiday foods and beverages: red and green sparkling sugars. We switch to silver sparkling sugar for the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Interchangeable is sanding sugar, which is a finer grind than sparkling sugar. Both add a sparkle flavor and color to cookies and other baked goods and desserts; and the crystals, much larger than table sugar, do not dissolve when subjected to heat.

Some people also refer to it as decorating sugar or pearl sugar; but as you can see in our Sugar Glossary, those are slightly different).

What do we do with it? We add a pinch of holiday garnish.

 
Sparkling sugar is available in enough colors for any occasion. We buy ours at KingArthurFlour.com and Wilton.com. If you have other holiday suggestions, let us know!

Turn your turkey carcass into turkey stock
or turkey soup. Photo by Marius Zjbie |
Wikimedia.

Why? Because the kitchen roasted several turkeys every day for turkey sandwiches (including our favorite combo: turkey, roast beef and chopped liver). What to do with all the leftover carcasses? Make turkey soup, which was called chicken soup on the menu. No one could tell the difference.

Why not just call it turkey soup? Because most customers aren’t accustomed to the concept of “turkey soup”; they want chicken soup. In industry terms, it wasn’t a bait-and-switch; most “pumpkin” pie is made with a different orange squash, among other secrets of the trade.

You can make either turkey stock or turkey soup with your turkey carcass. We typically make stock, taking advantage of the opportunity to make a lot of it from the large carcass. After all, if you’re going to simmer bones for four hours, would you rather end up with one pint of stock or four pints?

Stock Preparation

1. REMOVE all the meat from the turkey carcass. It’s OK if small bits remain.

2. BREAK up the bones of the carcass so they’ll fit in the pot. Place the bones and skin in a large stock pot and cover with cold water by an inch. You can the neck, heart and gizzard (but not the liver). Add a yellow onion that has been quartered, some chopped carrots, parsley, thyme, a bay leaf, celery tops, and some peppercorns.

3. BRING to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a bare simmer—as low as you can make the flame.

4. SIMMER for at least 4 hours, uncovered or partially uncovered (so the stock reduces). At intervals, skim off the foam that rises to the surface. You can reduce the stock as much as you like by continuing to simmer it, uncovered. The more reduced, the more concentrated the flavor (and the less there is to store).

5. REMOVE the bones and and strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer.

If you’d rather make soup than stock, add seasonings to the pot at the beginning of cooking:

 
When ready to serve, warm pieces of leftover turkey in the soup and add noodles, rice, and any vegetables. We lightly steam carrots, celery and onions in the microwave; then add them to the soup along with the turkey, as we reheat it.

STOCK, SOUP, BROTH: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Stock (as well as soup and broth) can be made from any meat or seafood, and from vegetables as well.

 
*The collagen gelatinizes at around 165°F.