When I was little, I always helped my mother prepare preserves. One year I remember that we bought lots of chestnuts to candy. She loves Marron Glace. Unfortunately, they all broke while trying to remove the pericarp, so Mum decided to make them in syrup. I must say, I liked them even more, and I was so greedy for them that she had to hide them so I wouldn’t eat the whole jar as a snack!
This is an old 80s recipe.

Semi Candied Chestnuts in Syrup

  • Preparation time: 2 days
  • Ingredients for 4 250 ml jars
  • Difficulty: Average difficult recipe

  • Ingredients
  • 1 kg of chestnuts
  • For the syrup:
  • 800 g of sugar
  • 800 ml of water
  • 1 vanilla pod
  1. Instructions
  2. Make a cut in the chestnuts. Boil them in warm water for fifteen minutes. Drain them, wrap them in a tea towel and leave them like that for five minutes. Peel them while they are still hot, also removing the pericarp.
  3. Place the sugar in the saucepan, and add the water. Stir for a long time with a spoon until the sugar is well dissolved. Then add the vanilla pod and the chestnuts. Bring to a boil and cook for about five minutes over a low heat. Turn off.
  4. After twelve hours, remove the syrup from the pot and pour it into another saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then pour it, still boiling into the pot with the chestnuts.
  5. After other twelve hours drain the candied chestnut from the syrup by placing them into the sterilized jar.  Bring to a boil the syrup and pour it into the jars. I close them hermetically with the caps and pasteurize them in water for thirty minutes
  6. Leave in the pantry for at least a week before consumption.
  7. I also serve them as a sauce for ice cream.

Tips to ensure the success of the dish:

  • To sterilize the jars, place them in the oven, set the temperature to 250°F (120°C), and leave them there for an hour.
  •  I always try to sterilize the jars even after. I do it in boiling water. Put the jars in a pot, fill the pot with water (it must exceed the cap of the jars by at least 1 inch), and then put it on the fire. From boiling point, it takes about twenty minutes to sterilize the 8 oz jar and thirty minutes for the 20 oz jars. All the jars should be left inside the water until it is completely cooled. The jars should go under a vacuum as soon as the water cools. Jars that have not been vacuumed must be consumed immediately and cannot be placed in the pantry.
  • This preserve lasts, on average, six months. As soon as the jar is opened, it must be placed in the refrigerator for a few days.