1 cake ring or removable bottom cake pan; 6" for a small cake or double the recipe and use a 9" round
1 pastry bag optional, for piping the chestnut purée
1 blender or food processor or immersion blender for blending the chestnuts to a purée
Ingredients
Sweet Chestnut Purée (Filling)
18ozchestnutscooked and peeled (weight includes shell)
3 ½ozgranulated sugar
9ozmilkwhole; or same weight as the final chestnut meat obtained after cooking and shelling the nuts
2tspvanilla extractor one vanilla bean
1tbspcocoa powder
3 ½ozmascarpone cheese
1tsprumoptional
1pinchfine salt
No-Bake Cookie Crumb Base
4tbspbuttermelted
8ozdry chocolate cookies
Decoration
1cupheavy whipping cream
2tbspgranulated sugar
cocoa powdersprinkle, for decoration
shaved chocolateoptional, for decoration
Instructions
Boil Chestnuts
Score fresh chestnuts longitudinally across the belly. We prefer to use kitchen scissors to do this job (safer then using a paring knife).
18 oz chestnuts
Boil chestnuts in water for 30 minutes.
Remove the chestnuts meats from the shells and set the dry meat aside.
Make the Cookie Crumb Base
Blend or crush dry cookies into powder. Use a rolling pin, food processor or blender for this job.
8 oz dry chocolate cookies
Add melted butter to the cookie crumbs and mix.
4 tbsp butter
Press the cookie crumbs into a ring and chill until it holds together (about 30 minutes).
Make the Chestnut Filling
Add the chestnut meats to a pot with: sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, a pinch of salt and rum (optional). Give it a mix.
3 ½ oz granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 pinch fine salt, 1 tsp rum
Add the milk and simmer over low heat (uncovered) for about 25 minutes.
9 oz milk
Blend the mix to a smooth paste and cool completely.
Mix in the mascarpone cheese.
3 ½ oz mascarpone cheese
Transfer the chestnut filling to a pastry bag with the nozzle of your choice. The nozzle should be large enough to push the paste through.
Whip the Cream
Whip the heavy cream with the sugar until you have stiff peaks.
1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tbsp granulated sugar
Assemble the Mont Blanc
Transfer the cookie base to the serving tray.
Pipe the chestnut filling on top of the cookie base in the shape of a cone (mountain).
Dollop on the whipped cream or pipe it on as we've done.
Sprinkle cocoa powder and shaved chocolate on the Mont Blanc (optional).
cocoa powder, shaved chocolate
Video
Notes
Is this a fast and easy dessert?Many of the tasks in this dessert can be done simultaneously. Or, it's just a matter of letting stuff simmer. So, yes, it's an easy recipeCan I make this Mont Blanc easier?Sure! Buy chestnut meat or purée (instead of boiling fresh chestnuts). You can also buy whipped cream in a can, however we always recommend making fresh whipped cream :)Do I need a pastry bag?For our version of this recipe (with mascarpone cheese), you'll want a pastry bag. However, if you leave the mascarpone out, you can also use a ricer to form the chestnut paste into the classic pasta-like shape.