Wine Food Pairing .... Chestnuts Roasting over ....


Try Wine Food Pairing while roasting chestnuts over an open fire.

What could be better than peeling open these hot, tasty nuts while sipping a glass of chilled wine?

My first experience came while visiting the grounds of the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna. It was a windy, bitter cold afternoon and my husband spied the "maroni" stand. Maroni is what the Austrians call these YUMMY guys and there are street stands with vendors that "roast" the nuts on the fires while you watch. NEATO! A super way to warm up your hands.

Now that we have returned from Europe, I located some chestnuts in our local Publix store in Florida....what a find! Of course, we don't have an open fire to roast our chestnuts, so I "Googled" up a recipe....sure enough....there it was.

Wipe the chestnuts down so they are free of dirt and place them on a thick dish towel (so they won't roll around!).
Take a sharp knife and cut and "X" in the top to let steam escape.
Place on a cookie sheet and put them into a 425 degree preheated oven.
Check after about 15 minutes to see if the shell is peeling back.
Try peeling one and see if the shell and the brown "skin" peels off. When this happens they are done.
Remember to warn your guests because these guys are DARN HOT!

Serve them on a platter for all to peel and have a salt shaker close by. Some people love the salt taste, but I like mine just plain.

I paired the chestnuts with a chilled Chardonnay from Oakton Lane......with just a hint of spice and vanilla it was the perfect compliment for the rich nuts.

Enjoy Wine Food Pairing with your friends. CHEERS!

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