Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
By: Nancy Honig, FCS Agent
Have any of you actually roasted chestnuts or seen it done? One reason most people have not may be due to the 1904 chestnut fungus blight. In fewer than 50 years, chestnut blight eliminated 3.5 billion of an estimated four billion trees in the United States over the next 50 years. So when chestnuts were sung about in the 1940’s, chestnuts were on their way out.
Even if you’re not roasting chestnuts, I encourage you to get in the habit of roasting various nuts before using them in your baking! Roasting nuts deepens their flavor, making them even more nutty and complex. It also gives them a crisper texture, which is one of the reasons we add nuts to our food. Even if your recipe doesn’t call for roasting, it can be a great way to pump up the flavor of your dishes.
You can easily roast nuts in the oven or on your stove top. Roasting nuts can be a little tricky, as they can go from almost done to overdone in less than a minute.
If you are using the oven begin by spreading nuts out in an even layer on a sheet pan, and pop them in a 350° oven. Be sure to check and stir the nuts frequently while they roast. Focus on moving the nuts from the edges, which can brown sooner than the nuts in the middle.
Generally speaking, lighter, more tender nuts such as pecans, pistachios, and walnuts will take 6-8 minutes to get to a good place. Denser nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and macadamias, will take more like 8-10 minutes to finish toasting. You may be tempted to turn the heat up, but don’t! If you roast them at too high a temperature you’ll have a dark outside and a raw inside, leading to an inconsistent flavor.
To toast nuts on the stove, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Do NOT add any oil or cooking spray; the nuts have enough oils on their own and will not stick to the pan. Once the pan is hot, add a single layer of nuts and cook them, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown and super aromatic. Make sure to remove the nuts from the pan when they are done so they do not continue cooking from the residual heat in the pan.
Some of the positive reasons for roasting your nuts:
* Almonds: Roasting almonds gives the otherwise bland nuts a bold, rich flavor.
* Pecans: Roasting pecans brings out their nutty aroma.
* Walnuts: Roasting walnuts removes their bitterness.
* Pine nuts: Smaller nuts such as pine nuts are notorious for burning quickly. Check them more frequently, usually every 2 minutes or so.
* Chestnuts: Bitter when raw, roasted chestnuts have a delicate and slightly sweet flavor with a soft texture similar to sweet potato.
So, if you enjoy nuts in your baked goods, salads, desserts, etc. be sure and take the extra step and give them a little roast beforehand.
-30-