No-Peel Chestnut Puree

• 2 full cups (12 ounces) chestnuts, in shell
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons chestnut or buckwheat honey (optional)
• Salt
• pepper to taste

1. Set oven to 375 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Remove the shell and pith from the nut kernel in a colander or blanching basket (as described above).
3. Save the water for now.
4. Toss discolored nuts.
5. Transfer nuts to a glass baking dish filled with 1/4 cup chestnut bath, and roast in oven for 12 minutes.
6. (If ovens are at a premium, you can boil the nuts for 15 to 20 minutes and skip this step.)
7. Pour chestnuts into a food processor with cream, butter and 1/2 cup chestnut water.
8. Puree until the chestnuts have the texture of a smooth spackle.
9. If the mixture seems more like mortar, add reddish water from the chestnut pot, 1/8 cup at a time, until the consistency seems pleasing.
10. If youre trying to woo children, make a grand show of adding 2 tablespoons honey.
11. Let them lick the spoon, which might have (just accidentally) touched the chestnut puree.
12. Add salt and pepper to taste; serve hot.

full, heavy cream, butter, honey, salt, pepper

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014216 (may not work)