Chestnut & quince dessert

We’re going to make a lovely chestnut & quince dessert! It’s a chestnut ganache & cremeux with a quince compote, a quince mousse, an almond chocolate crumble, a toasted chocolate glaze and a beurre noisette cake.

The quince compote

6	quinces
1	lemon
230 g	apple juice
230 g	sugar
3	cinnamon sticks
2	empty vanilla pods

This will also be the base for the mousse. Quince is a fruit related to apples and pears and it’s known for its firm flesh and tart flavor when raw. That’s why I always cook it. Not only to preserve it, but also to improve the flavor and texture. Once cooked it develops a fragrant, floral sweetness. Start by peeling the quinces and cut them in four. Now remove the core. Then cut them in big even chunks. After that transfer them into a pan. In total I had 2300 grams. Now zest the lemon on a tray and keep it in your fridge for later. We need it for another recipe. Then cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze all the juice out. Be sure to check for any seeds. Now also add the apple juice, the sugar, the cinnamon sticks and the empty vanilla pods. Now cover the pan with a lid and slowly cook the quince on a medium low heat. It’s going to take some time, but it’s truly worth it! Once the quince is fully cooked remove the lid and let it cook for another 30 minutes. Then remove all the spices and blend it with a hand blender. Or like you guys prefer. Blend it till smooth. Now pour it into a bowl and fill half a piping bag. Keep the rest in your fridge for later. Use the piping bag to fill your desired mold. This is going to be one of the fillings. Level the top with a pallet knife and let it set in your freezer. Once completely frozen remove them from the mold and keep them in your freezer for later.

The quince mousse

3 leaves or 5 g	gelatin
180 g	the quince compote we just made
40 g	white port
10 g	lemon juice
180 g	cream 35%

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then mix the quince compote with the white port and the lemon juice. Now mix it well and heat it up till it starts to steam. Then turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Now pour it into a bowl and set it aside for later. Then in another bowl start beating the cream. Beat it till it has a thin yoghurt consistency. Now give the quince compote another good mix and while stirring add the whipped cream. Mix it well to prevent lumps from forming and then fold it in till it’s an even mousse. Once you’re happy with the mousse fill you desired mold. These are from Mold Brothers. Click here for the molds. Now tap the mold a couple of times to remove any air bubbles and then press the frozen quince filling in the mousse. Level it with a pallet knife and then keep it in your freezer for later.

The toasted chocolate glaze

250 g	white chocolate
200 g	cacao butter

Let’s start with the toasted chocolate. Spread the white chocolate on a metal tray and toast it at 150 degrees Celsius for around 20 minutes. This will caramelize the solids and give an incredibly rich flavor. Meanwhile melt the cacao butter on a low heat. Once melted set it aside for later. Then weight 200 grams of the toasted chocolate into a measuring cub and add the melted cacao butter. Now blend it till smooth. Be sure you blender is strong enough to get the best result. Then let the glaze cool down till it’s between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius. When the temperature is good fill your desired mold and turn it around to remove any excess chocolate. Then clean the top and set it aside for later.

The chestnut puree

This will be the base for the cremeux and the ganache. Start by removing the chestnuts from the husks. You can also open them by standing on the sides. Obviously with shoes on. Then make a cross with a serrated knife. There are tools to do this, but a serrated knife works fine as well. After that submerge them in lukewarm water and let it sit overnight in your fridge. The next day you can drain the water and spread them on an oven tray. Make sure that the cross side is facing up and then toast them at 230 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. They’ll open up nicely and get a beautiful golden color. If you’re not happy with the color leave them in for another 5 minutes. Then let them cool down for a couple of minutes before taking the chestnuts out of the peels. In total I had 450 grams of cleaned chestnuts. If you want you can also buy cooked ones, but toasting them yourself is so much fun and delicious! Now transfer them into a blender and also add 300 grams of milk. Blend this till smooth. It’s going to take some time, but trust me it’s worth it! Then transfer it into a bowl, cover it and keep it in your fridge for later.

The runny chestnut ganache

225 g	cream 35%
150 g	white chocolate
150 g	the chestnut puree we just made
4 g	flaky salt

First bring the cream to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn off the heat and add the white chocolate together with the baked chestnut puree and the flaky salt. Blend this till smooth and fully emulsified. Then pour it into a piping bottle and fill your desired mold. This is also going to be one of the fillings. Now keep it in your fridge for later.

The beurre noisette cake

250 g	butter
220 g	sugar
4 g	salt
4 g	baking powder
1	lemon zest
200 g	egg
220 g	flour
	White port

First need to make the beurre noisette. Beurre noisette is a toasted or caramelized butter. It’s rich in flavor and very simple to make. Just heat up the butter while stirring it every now and then. This will prevent it from burning. It takes a little bit of time, but eventually the milk solids will start to caramelize. When that is happening turn down the heat for more control. This is the color we’re looking for. Then pour it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge. Once it’s cold transfer 220 grams into a mixing bowl and also add the sugar, the salt, the baking powder and the zest we made before from the lemon. Start beating it and then slowly add the egg. Once it’s a nice fluffy batter turn down the speed and add the flour. Keep on mixing till it’s an even batter. Then spread it on a baking tray that’s lined with a silicon sheet or a piece of parchment paper. Now level it and then bake it at 180 degrees Celsius for about  20 minutes. When you’re happy with the color let the cake cool down and then cut it with a small round cutter. I know there are a lot of trimmings, but I call them chefs snacks. Now brush a layer of white port on top. If you want something nonalcoholic use an almond syrup. Then place them with the brushed side down on the ganache and freeze them till solid. Once frozen take them out off the mold and keep them in the freezer for later.

The chestnut cremeux

1 leaf or 1.6 g	gelatin
150 g	cream 35%
200 g	the chestnut puree we just made
10 g	corn starch
20 g	sugar
30 g	egg yolk
60 g	milk chocolate

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then mix the cream with the chestnut puree, the corn starch, the sugar and the egg yolk. Mix it well and while stirring bring it to a simmer. This will thicken the cremeux. After that turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Also add the milk chocolate and mix it. Now pour it into a bowl, cover it and let it cool down in your fridge. After that transfer it into a piping bag and fill the chocolate covered mold halfway. Then take the chestnut and beurre noisette cake filling and press it in the mold as well. Level it with a pallet knife and then let it set in your freezer.

The white chocolate powder

100 g	white chocolate
200 g	sugar
40 g	water
1	empty vanilla pod

First melt the white chocolate. Melt it till the temperature is between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius. Then mix the sugar with the water and the empty vanilla pod. Heat it up till the temperature is 135 degrees Celsius. Once it has the right temperature while stirring add it to the melted white chocolate. Preferably do this with two persons, but since I’m a one man show I just got to stir like a crazy person. And I know normally you can put a towel underneath the bowl, but here there’s to much resistance so the bowl would still go everywhere. Once all the sugar is incorporated remove the empty vanilla pod and then the powder is done. The only thing we need to do is select the needed size. Because I use it to decorate the glaze, the size is very important. For that first pass the powder through a coarse sieve. Everything that’s passing through the sieve is not too big, but some of the powder is too small. To fix that we pass that sieved powder through a fine sieve, leaving you with the perfect sized powder. You can just blend the remaining powder, so nothing is wasted. Keep it dry and covered for later.

The chocolate almond crumble

105 g	flour
150 g	almond powder
150 g	sugar
150 g	cold cubes of butter
3 g	flaky salt
60 g	melted dark chocolate

Transfer the flour on your worktop and use the bowl to make a well in the middle. Fill it with the almond powder, the sugar, the cold cubes of butter, the flaky salt and the melted dark chocolate. Now bring all the ingredients together and then knead it till it’s a nice dough. After that spread it on an oven tray. My BORA trays are coated, but otherwise line them with a silicon sheet. Now bake it at 150 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Stir it every 5 to 10 minutes to create a nice crumble. Once you’re happy with the color and the texture take the crumble out of the oven and let it cool down completely. Then keep it dry and covered for later.

The milk chocolate glaze

11 leaves or 18.3 g	gelatin
200 g	condensed milk
250 g	sugar
270 g	water
350 g	glucose syrup
300 g	milk chocolate

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then mix the condensed milk with the sugar, the water and the glucose syrup. Bring this to a simmer and stir it every now and then to prevent it from burning. Meanwhile transfer the milk chocolate into a measuring jar. Once the liquid is simmering turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Then pour it on the chocolate and blend it till smooth. Keep the blender at the bottom to prevent air from mixing with the glaze. Then cover it and keep it in your fridge for later.

How to finish the dessert

First take the bottom half of the mushroom out of the mold and let them defrost in your fridge. Then gently heat up the mirror glaze till it’s between 31 and 36 degrees Celsius. Give it a proper mix before using it. Now take the top half of the mushrooms out of the mold as well and place them on metal rings. Glaze them with the mirror glaze and then directly dust some cacao powder on top. This is optional, but I just like the look. Now also sprinkle some of the white chocolate powder on there. Then use a needle to gently pick up the top half and place it on the bottoms. Remove the needle and let them defrost completely. Now add a little dot of the cremeux on a plate and place the mushroom on there. This will prevent it from slighting away. Then cover the rest of the plate with the chocolate crumble and it’s ready to be served!

The pairing

I pair the dessert with a lovely white port from J H Andresen. This white wine from the Andresen brand comes from the Douro wine region in Portugal. The Andresen 10 Years old white Port is made from a combination of Arinto, Códega and Malvasia grapes. The flavor profile of this white wine is sweet & soft and pairs perfectly with quince desserts.

Andresen has been producing Port since 1845 and is one of the very few Portuguese Port houses that is still completely family-owned. Andresen makes excellent Port in all varieties: from Ruby, Tawny, White and LBV to 10 & 20 Years Old, Colheita and Vintage Port.

The Douro Valley is a unique wine region. On the slopes along the Douro River, wine producers built terraced vineyards. This region has traditionally been known for its Port wine production, but for many years now, beautiful red and white wines have also been produced here from old grape varieties.