Chocolate Chestnut Pots

Our answer

Sweetened chestnut puree is often sold labelled as "chestnut cream" so it is worth checking to see if you can find it with this alternative labelling and it is usually available on-line.

If you can only find the unsweetened puree then you can add caster (superfine) sugar to the puree. We estimate that the sweetened version is 60-70% chestnut puree and 30-40% sugar and it is fairly sweet. You will also need to add a few drops of vanilla extract. We would suggest starting with 60g (1/4 cup) unsweetened puree and beating in 30g (2 tablespoons) caster sugar plus 2-3 drops vanilla extract. Beat until the sugar has dissolved. Taste the mixture and if it isn't sweet enough for your taste then beat in a further 15g (1 tablespoon) sugar. Once you have the level of sweetness that suits your palate then you can make the puree in larger quantities. For the Chocolate Chestnut Pots recipe you are likely to need 150g (2/3 cup) chestnut puree and 100g (1/2) cup caster sugar, but again you may need to adjust these quantities slightly to suit your own taste and you need 250g (1 cup) sweetened puree in total.

If you can't find either sweetened or usweetened puree then you can make your own but it is time consuming as you need to roast the chestnuts, remove the skins and then simmer the skinned chestnuts with milk and sugar. There are several recipes available on-line.