Food Maths: Merchant Gourmet’s Chestnut Purée

THE SUPERMARKET: Sainsbury’s

THE HERO INGREDIENT: Merchant Gourmet chestnut puree packet (180g)

METHOD

1. In a heavy based saucepan, fry the shallot in butter. Saute.  

2. Add the purée and curry powder, 200ml of cream and 200ml of stock (one Kallo cube dissolved into 200ml boiling water).  

3. Then throw in the cauliflower florets. Season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 4 minutes. 

4. Purée in a food processor. 

5. Taste and season again if needed. Serve immediately. 

Top tip: If you want to add crispy lardons or piles of winter herbs, go for it.

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.  

2. Separate the eggs. In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites separately so they become thick peaks (an electric whisk is fine). 

3. Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a hot pan of water to gently melt. Add the butter and melt in the same bowl, then the sugar.  

4. Remove from the heat, cool for a few minutes. Then beat in the chestnut purée and  baking powder and egg yolks. To finish, fold in the whites. 

5. Dollop into a greased springform 23cm cake tin. Bake for 40minutes. 

6. When it’s out, serve soft and warm with vanilla ice cream You can drop in 1 tbsp of whisky, brandy or any festive spirit to the ice cream. Or to serve it cold, firm it up overnight in the fridge.

METHOD

1. Heat olive oil or butter in the pan, pour in the finely chopped onion and apple. Sauté.

2. In a bowl, stir the mix into the sausage meat, chestnut purée and egg. If you have any thyme, include it now. 

3. If you want to taste it in advance to adjust the seasoning, fry a bit in a frying pan. Cook through and sample and season the raw mix accordingly.

4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pack the stuffing in and smooth over the top with a fork.  At this point, you can either pop in the fridge for the night if making in advance. When you need it, bake for 30 minutes in the oven at 190° C-200° C until it’s cooked through.