Vanilla Candied Chestnuts Cured Over Several Days

What you need

• 700 g (1 1/2 lb) fresh chestnuts, in the shell, giving about 500 g (1 lb) peeled
• 500 g (2 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
• 350 ml (1 1/2 cups) water, for the syrup
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Cut a cross through the shell on the flat side of each chestnut.

2. 2

   Put the chestnuts in a pot, cover with water and boil for 10 min.

3. 3

   Take out a few at a time and peel off both the shell and the thin brown skin while still hot. Keep the rest in the hot water so they stay easy to peel. Set aside any that break.

4. 4

   Combine the sugar, 350 ml water and the vanilla bean with its scraped seeds in a wide pot. Bring to a boil, stirring, and boil for 5 min.

5. 5

   Add the whole chestnuts and return to a bare simmer. Cook 10 min without stirring, which would break them.

6. 6

   Move the chestnuts and syrup to a deep bowl, cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 12-18 h.

7. 7

   Pour everything back into the pot, bring to a boil, simmer 2 min, then return to the bowl and cover loosely. Rest for 18-24 h.

8. 8

   Repeat the 2-min boil and rest 3 more times, until the chestnuts look glossy and translucent and the syrup is thick and mostly absorbed.

9. 9

   Lift the chestnuts out onto a rack set over a tray and let the excess syrup drip off.

10. 10

    Heat the oven to 120 °C (250 °F). Arrange the chestnuts on a lined baking tray, switch the oven off and put the tray in for 45-60 min, until the surface is dry and slightly tacky.

11. 11

    Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container between sheets of parchment.

Imported from cookist.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.