The Neapolitan castagnaccio, in the version I would like to propose to you, is an autumn dessert based on fresh chestnut cream and cocoa enclosed in a delicious shortcrust pastry shell. It is soft, fragrant, simply delicious. There are many versions of this Campanian dessert: with chestnut flour and dark chocolate, with lard, with or without shortcrust pastry, and so on. This recipe was passed to me some time ago by a nice lady who let me taste this dessert I didn’t even know existed, even though I am from Campania. For the shortcrust pastry, I followed the recipe I usually use. If we want to make this dessert gluten-free and lactose-free, just prepare both the filling and the shortcrust pastry with specific products (I make both versions).
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz all-purpose flour (or rice flour or gluten-free mix)
- 2 cold egg yolks from the fridge
- 1 medium whole cold egg from the fridge
- 3.5 oz cold butter from the fridge (also lactose-free)
- 3.5 oz granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
- to taste grated citrus zest
- 14 oz peeled fresh chestnuts
- to taste water
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 2 leaves bay
- 1.7 cups milk (also lactose-free)
- 1.23 oz unsweetened cocoa powder (also gluten-free)
- 7 oz granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water or Strega liqueur
- 1 pinch fine salt
Preparation
Let’s prepare the filling of the castagnaccio.
Put our chestnuts, peeled of their outer shell, a level teaspoon of coarse salt, and 2 bay leaves in a pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
From the first boil, let the chestnuts cook for about 20-25 minutes, depending on their size, over low heat; the chestnuts are ready when they can be pierced with a fork.
Turn off the heat and, being careful not to burn yourself, remove the outer skin with a small knife. Place the peeled chestnuts in a blender with the milk and blend until smooth and creamy.
Transfer the mixture to a pot, add the sifted cocoa, salt, sugar, orange blossom water (or Strega).
Cook our cream over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon or a steel whisk. We should achieve a consistency that is compact but not too hard or too liquid. The cream will become firmer as it cools.
Turn off the heat, sprinkle the surface of the cream with a thin layer of granulated sugar (to prevent an annoying crust from forming) and let it cool completely.
Let’s prepare the shortcrust pastry. Sift the flour and place it in a wide and shallow bowl, along with all the other ingredients. Knead quickly to avoid warming the butter, using a spatula, until a dough is formed, which we will cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
After the time has elapsed, preheat the oven to 356°F.
Retrieve the shortcrust dough from the fridge and place it on parchment paper. With the help of a rolling pin, roll it out to a thickness of a couple of millimeters, using a bit of flour only if necessary.
Transfer the parchment paper with the dough directly into the baking pan. Even out the edges of the tart and set aside the leftovers, which we will use to form the strips for decoration.
Fill with the chestnut and cocoa cream, level it to distribute it evenly, and decorate the castagnaccio with the strips obtained from the leftover shortcrust pastry.
Bake the Neapolitan castagnaccio at mid-height, for about 25 minutes; once cooked, take it out and let it cool. Dust with powdered sugar only when it is completely cold.
The extra idea. I recommend preparing the Neapolitan castagnaccio at least a day in advance to better appreciate its flavors and aromas.
Bon appetit
