Candied Chestnuts
Makes enough for a cocktail party.
Ingredients
2 pounds chestnuts, shelled
2 pounds granulated sugar
21/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Place the chestnuts in a large pan with just enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the chestnuts. Using a clean towel, rub the thin skin off the cooked chestnuts.
In a separate pan, bring the sugar, the 21/2 cups water and vanilla to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue cooking the sugar mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add the prepared chestnuts to the boiling sugar syrup and stir the chestnuts until the whole mixture returns to a boil. Continue cooking the chestnuts, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Pour the candied chestnuts, along with the vanilla sugar syrup, into a large container and loosely cover. Allow the chestnuts to soak in the syrup for 12 to 18 hours.
Add the chestnuts and syrup to a clean pan and repeat the process; this time boiling them for 2 minutes, and then soaking the mixture, loosely covered, for 18 to 24 more hours. Repeat the entire process a total of 3 to 4 times, until the sugar syrup has been absorbed by the chestnuts.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and arrange the candied chestnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and turn off the heat. Allow the chestnuts to dry in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until they have firmed up and the surfaces of the nuts are dry.
