Autumn recipes from Granada

CHESTNUT MOUSSE WITH CHEESE FOAM AND QUINCE SAUCE

A typical winter combination: cheese, chestnuts and quince, but with a special presentation.

INGREDIENTS

Chestnut mousse:

250 g peeled chestnuts and syrup, or chestnuts preserved in syrup.

250 g cream

2 sheets of gelatine

1 thin sheet of cake

Cheese foam:

250 g cream cheese

250 g cream

50 g sugar

2 sheets of gelatine

Quince sauce:

50 g quince

20 ml water

In addition

Almond biscuits

METHOD

Chestnut mousse:

Cook and peel the chestnuts. Dip them in syrup flavoured with vanilla, lemon rind or any other flavour. Cook the chestnuts in the syrup until creamy. If you use chestnuts preserved in syrup, mash them in a food mill and mix with a small amount of the syrup until creamy. Whip the cream and add it to the custard. Add the sheet of gelatine and mix well.

Cheese foam:

Whip the cheese until creamy. Whip cream and sugar together and add the creamy cheese. Soak the gelatine sheets in a small amount of warm water, wring gently and add to the cheese and cream mix.

Quince sauce:

Put the quince in a pan, cover with water and heat until tender. It will make a slightly sticky sauce whose thickness depends on the amount of water added.

Presentation:

Use cylindrical moulds to cut out round shapes from a thin cake base. Later, you will use the moulds to prepare the dessert for serving. Place a round piece of cake in the bottom of the mould and cover half-way up the mould with chestnut mousse. Add another piece of cake and fill the rest of the mould with cheese foam. Smooth with a spatula. Proceed in the same way with the other moulds and refrigerate them. When they have chilled and become compact, remove them from the mounds in the centre of a dish with the aid of the tip of a knife. Coat each piece with the quince sauce.

Decorate with almond biscuits or similar.

CHESTNUT CUSTARD

* 250 g chestnuts

* 1 ltr milk

* 250 g sugar

* 4 eggs

* Caramel syrup

1. Peel the chestnuts and remove the skins. Make a small cut in each one and place in a saucepan with the milk. Simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Pour the mixture into a blender and whir for 30 seconds at high speed until smooth. Return to the saucepan and add the beaten eggs and 250 g sugar. Program for 7 minutes, 85 ºC, speed 4.

3. Coat the bottom of the moulds with the caramel. Pour the custard into the moulds immediately, smooth the top and allow to cool.

4. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, remove from the moulds and serve with ice cream.

SUGGESTION: Add a dash of liqueur to the mixture before cooking.

PORK STEW WITH CHESTNUTS

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg lean pork

olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 onions

1 tbsp flour

200 ml white wine

Salt

pepper

3/4 kg chestnuts

Method:

Cut the pork into bite-size cubes. Add salt and pepper. Brown the pork in a casserole. Crush the garlic and onion in a blender and add to the pork. When the onions are golden, add the flour and mix. Add the wine, water and chestnuts. Cook all together.

Before adding the chestnuts, remove the shell and skin and boil in water for 15 minutes.

Cooking times:

1 1/2 hours in an ordinary casserole

45 minutes in a pressure cooker

20 minutes in a fast-cooking pressure cooker

The amount of water used varies, but normally it just covers the ingredients.