My early autumnal CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) box gave me chestnuts recently, which first became Chestnut Puree and then developed into Chestnut Pancakes! Rich and hearty, full of protein, these delicious pancakes make a fantastic start to a chilly Fall morning.
Chestnut Puree
I started out by getting down my “Fannie Farmer Original Boston Cooking School Cookbook from 1896” and found my recipe for Chestnut Puree.
“Chestnut Purée
Remove shells from chestnuts, cook until soft in boiling salted water; drain, mash, moisten with scalded milk, season with salt and pepper, and beat until light. Chestnuts are often boiled, riced, and piled lightly in centre of dish, then surrounded by meat.”
I boiled my chestnuts in my favorite blend of non-dairy almond/coconut milk, then threw them into my Vitamix and blended them into a smooth paste. I added a little vanilla sugar and some salt. Delicious, but what to do with it?
Chestnut Pancakes
Chestnut Pancakes sounded like just the thing one morning, and super simple to whip up! I used my Gluten-Free Quick Bread Flour Blend and more almond/coconut milk because I am gluten-free and dairy-free (although that didn’t stop me from putting a big dab of butter on top!), but you could easily do this with regular milk and flour. Both times I’ve made this as one large pancake in an 8-inch sauté pan, but you could make several smaller pancakes if you wished.
1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend*
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp. chestnut puree
2 tbsp. non-dairy milk
2 tbsp. butter
Maple Syrup
*My Gluten-Free Quick Bread Flour Blend includes White Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, and Untoasted Buckwheat Flour
Add 1 tbsp. of the butter to a frying pan and heat on medium until the butter starts to brown. The browned butter will add a nutty flavor of its own to the pancakes. Pour the batter and cook until bubbles appear across the surface of the top, then flip. The pancake should fluff up a bit in the middle. Allow it to cook several minutes (the time will vary depending on the size of the pancakes) so that the middle has time to cook all the way through. The chestnut puree will make this a dense batter, so it may take a little longer to cook than usual pancakes.
Add a pat of butter and some maple syrup to the top and pour a cold glass of apple cider to enjoy!
