5 Irresistible Chestnut Recipes to Try This Fall
- Eliane Muskus
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
From savory ragù to elegant French desserts — discover the magic of chestnuts in the kitchen.
After a period working as a chef in Paris, life carried me to the rugged Ardèche, a region where chestnut trees line the hillsides and their harvest marks the true beginning of autumn. There, chestnuts weren’t just an ingredient — they were part of the rhythm of life. In the fall, the air filled with the scent of woodsmoke and roasting nuts, and every table seemed to celebrate them in one way or another.
We would prepare baskets of homegrown chestnuts in both savory and sweet dishes: rich stews slowly simmered with wine, delicate desserts layered with cream and chestnut purée, or rustic tarts with caramelized fruit. Guests arrived eager to taste these seasonal specialties, and every bite carried the essence of the Ardèche — earthy, warming, and comforting.
Now, I’m sharing some of those recipes with you, so you can bring the same autumnal spirit into your own kitchen.
The Recipes
Mont Blanc Dessert – airy meringue, whipped cream, and delicate chestnut purée.
Chestnut & Wild Mushroom Risotto – creamy comfort with earthy mushrooms and sweet chestnuts.
Chestnut & Roasted Pumpkin Velouté – silky smooth soup, finished with sage butter.
Caramelized Chestnut & Pear Tarte Tatin – an autumn twist on the French classic.
Chestnut, Sausage & Red Wine Ragù – a hearty Italian-style sauce served with pappardelle.
📌 Each of these dishes celebrates the chestnut’s unique ability to bridge sweet and savory, rustic and elegant — a true gift of fall.
Mont Blanc Dessert (Classic French Elegance)
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 0 minutes (using pre-made meringue nests)
Ingredients
250 g cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed or roasted and peeled)8
100 g icing sugar
200 ml cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 small meringue nests
Method
1. Purée the chestnuts with icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. If too thick, add 1–2 tbsp cream.
2. Whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form.
3. Place a meringue nest on each plate, top with whipped cream.
4. Spoon the chestnut purée into a piping bag with a fine nozzle. Pipe fine spaghetti-like strands over the cream until fully covered.
5. Dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.
Chestnut & Wild Mushroom Risotto
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
250 g arborio rice
200 g wild mushrooms, sliced
150 g cooked chestnuts, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
750 ml vegetable stock
100 ml dry white wine
50 g Parmesan, grated
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Warm stock in a pan.
2. In another pan, heat olive oil and butter, sauté onion and garlic until translucent.
3. Add rice, stirring for 2 minutes. Deglaze with wine.
4. Gradually add stock, one ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed.
5. Halfway through, add mushrooms and chestnuts. Continue cooking until rice is creamy and al dente.
6. Stir in Parmesan, adjust seasoning, and serve hot.
Caramelized Chestnut & Pear Tarte Tatin
Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
4 ripe pears, peeled, quartered
100 g chestnuts, halved
100 g sugar
50 g butter
1 sheet puff pastry
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Melt sugar in a heavy ovenproof pan until golden caramel. Add butter, pears, and chestnuts. Cook gently for 5 minutes.
3. Lay puff pastry over the pears, tucking edges inside the pan.
4. Bake 25 minutes until pastry is golden.
5. Cool 5 minutes, then flip onto a plate to reveal the glossy pears and chestnuts.
Chestnut, Sausage & Red Wine Ragù
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes (simmering for depth of flavor)
Ingredients
250 g Italian sausages, skinned and crumbled
150 g chestnuts, halved
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
400 g canned tomatoes
150 ml red wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black, pepper
Pappardelle pasta, to serve
Method
1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Brown sausage until golden. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté onion and garlic. Add wine, simmer until reduced by half.
3. Add tomatoes, rosemary, and sausage back. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. Stir in chestnuts, cook another 5 minutes.
5. Toss with pappardelle, season, and serve with Parmesan.
Chestnut & Roasted Pumpkin Velouté
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
500 g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
150 g cooked chestnuts
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
600 ml vegetable stock
100 ml cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
40 g butter
5 fresh sage leaves
Method
1. Roast pumpkin cubes with olive oil and thyme at 200°C for 20 minutes until caramelized.
2. In a saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add roasted pumpkin and chestnuts.
3. Pour in stock and simmer 10 minutes. Blend until smooth, stir in cream.
4. In a small pan, fry sage leaves in butter until crisp.
5. Serve the velouté with a swirl of sage butter and fried sage leaves on top.
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