Creamy chestnut tiramisu by Stefano Manfredi

Ingredients (Serves 10 to 12)

• 500 g fresh chestnuts (or 350 g peeled)
• 250 ml milk
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 eggs, separated
• 100 g caster sugar
• 300 g mascarpone
• 32 Savoiardi biscuits (Italian sponge fingers)
• 400 ml water
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder plus 1 tsp for dusting

Method

If using fresh chestnuts, score them and then place in boiling water for 10 minutes. Peel to remove skin (both the hard outer and soft inner) as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.

Thinly slice 8 peeled chestnuts. Set aside.

Place the rest in a small pot with milk, brown sugar and vanilla essence. Simmer on very low heat for 15 minutes until chestnuts become very soft.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool, then blend in a food processor until smooth. (If necessary, add 3 to 4 tablespoons more milk to get a creamy consistency.)

Beat egg yolks and caster sugar together until the mixture becomes pale. Beat the whites in a separate bowl until they form fluffy peaks.

Mix yolk and sugar mixture together with the mascarpone, then fold the whites in gradually. Set aside.

Mix 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder with 100 millilitres of water to dissolve, then add remaining water. Dip biscuits, 2 at a time, for 1 second on each side in the ‘chocolate water’. Arrange 8 in a layer on the bottom of a deep, 26-centimetre serving dish. Spread a layer of the mascarpone on top and then dollop on some chestnut purée, spreading with a spatula.
Repeat the process until all the biscuits and mascarpone have been used up, finishing with a layer of mascarpone on top. Scatter the sliced chestnuts over and sprinkle with remaining cocoa powder.