Italian Desserts Recipes - Chestnut and Chocolate Dessert (Dolce di Castagne e Cioccolata) Recipe

Ingredients                                 

• 100 g/4 oz plain (semi-sweet) cooking chocolate

• 150 ml/2/3 cup milk

• 75 g/3 oz/1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar

• 15 g/1 tbsp gelatin, softened in 30 ml/2 tbsp warm water

• 165 g/1 small can unsweetened chestnut puree (paste)

• 300 ml/1 1/4 cups double (heavy) cream

• 150 g/5 oz/1 small can preserved chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped

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Method:

1. Grate half of the chocolate for decoration. Line the bottom of a 1.2 liter/2 pt/5 cup mould (mold) with a circle of greaseproof (waxed) paper and set aside.

2. Melt the remaining chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of hot water. Put the milk and sugar in a saucepan and add the gelatin mixture.

3. Cook gently, stirring until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved. Slowly stir in the chestnut puree and the melted chocolate.

4. Mix well and pour into a bowl. Chill for 15 minutes. Beat the cream until thick and beat into the gelatin mixture.

5. Add the preserved chestnuts to the cream. Spoon into the lined mould. Cover with greaseproof paper and chill for at least 6 hours.

6. Remove the paper and place a serving plate on the top of the mould, invert the plate and mould and shake gently.

7. The dessert should slide out easily. Decorate with the reserved grated chocolate before serving.