Braised Chestnut And Pearl Onion Confit Recipes

Steps:

• Blanch onions in a large saucepan of boiling water 3 minutes, then drain and transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water. Drain onions and peel.
• Cook chestnuts in 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add broth and celery and cook at a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes.
• While chestnuts are cooking, heat remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shallots and peeled onions with thyme and salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until onions are tender and golden brown in patches. Add wine and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
• Gently stir onion mixture into chestnut mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy saucepan. Add the oil, butter, and chopped onions. When onions turn slightly brown, deglaze with port wine. Add thyme, chestnuts, chicken stock, and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook until chestnuts are tender and the chestnuts have absorbed most of the liquid.
• Serve as whole braised chestnuts or pass through a ricer and make a wonderful chestnut puree.

Steps:

• If using frozen chestnuts, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add chestnuts, and boil for 3 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• Remove and discard stalks from fennel, reserving some fronds for garnish. Trim and discard tough outer layer if necessary. Quarter fennel bulbs lengthwise, and set aside. Peel shallots, leaving root ends intact.
• In a large, wide saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add shallots and chestnuts, and saute stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook, shaking pan occasionally until chestnuts are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove shallots and chestnuts from pan; set aside.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to pan, and melt over medium-high heat. Add fennel and sugar, and saute, turning, until browned on all sides, 12 to 13 minutes. If sugar begins to burn, reduce heat, and continue to cook.
• Add shallots, chestnuts, stock, salt, and pepper to fennel; stir to combine, scraping up any crisp bits at the bottom of the pan. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, carefully turning vegetables occasionally, until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to medium high, and cook until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with reserved fennel fronds, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Put mushrooms in a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Pour 1/16 inch of oil in a large deep skillet or casserole, preferably nonstick, and place over medium heat. Cut an "X" in flat side of each chestnut, and add them to oil. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until skins loosen, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels; when cool, peel.
• While chestnuts cool, drain all but about 2 tablespoons oil from skillet. With heat on medium, add scallions and ginger and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 30 seconds. Reserve about 1/2 cup of mushroom soaking liquid, then drain mushrooms and add to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Remove mixture with a slotted spoon, and reserve.
• Put chicken pieces in skillet skin-side down. Brown well on all sides, then add mushroom mixture to pan, along with soy sauce, mushroom-soaking liquid and chestnuts. Stir well, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, adding water if mixture dries out; dish is done when chicken and chestnuts are tender and sauce is thickened slightly. Serve hot, with rice.

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add broth and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until onions are tender, 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook fresh Brussels sprouts in large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. (Or cook frozen Brussels sprouts according to package directions.) Rinse with cold water. Drain.
• Add chestnuts to onions, cover and simmer until chestnuts are tender, about 4 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover onion mixture and Brussels sprouts separately and refrigerate. Reheat onion mixture before continuing.) Add Brussels sprouts to onions. Boil until Brussels sprouts are heated through and liquid is syrupy, about 4 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and serve.

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, melt the butter and cook the onions very slowly, until they begin to brown. This should take about 30 minutes.
• Press the browned onions to remove the excess butter and drain the pan of the surplus butter.
• Add the remaining ingredients. Cook slowly, uncovered, over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the onions are very dark or almost black. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Makes 1 cup to serve 4 to 6 as a condiment.
• Across the Table.

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut a cross in the rounded side of each chestnut. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Immerse chestnuts, and let boil for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat, but leave chestnuts in hot water. Extract them one at a time, and remove shell and inner lining that clings to the meat. If necessary, return nuts to hot water, and boil another minute or two. When all chestnuts have been peeled, set them aside.
• Cut off onion tops. Trim root end to make a neat appearance, but leave enough of it intact to hold the onions together while cooking. Peel onions.
• In wide casserole or deep saute pan that can go into the oven, melt butter in corn oil. When butter foam has subsided, add onions, and cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning frequently, to brown all over.
• Add chestnuts to onions and mix well. Add glace de viande, wine and black pepper. When wine is bubbling, place a round of buttered aluminum foil directly over chestnuts and onions, cover pan, and place in a 350-degree oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until onions can be pierced through with a knife but are still firm and hold their shape. There should be a small amount of syrupy liquid in the bottom of the pan. If there is too much, place over medium-high heat for a few minutes to reduce. Serve immediately.