Turkish Chocolate-Covered Chestnuts (Káryoka)
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh chestnuts
½ cup powdered sugar
2-4 tbsp. heavy cream
3 oz. bitter (dark) chocolate
2 tbsp. pistachio nuts inely ground, for garnish)
Use a sturdy, sharp knife to slice into the outer hull crosswise on each chestnut making a slit deep enough to penetrate the inner hull as well.
Put the chestnuts in a large saucepan and fill it with water to cover the chestnuts. Bring to a boil and let the chestnuts boil with a cracked lid for about 20 minutes or until they are tender.
Drain chestnuts and run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Use the paring knife to remove the outer shell and the inner brown membrane. Be careful to remove all the membrane, not leaving any small pieces.
Put two cups of the boiled, peeled chestnuts and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse on high until well blended.
Add 2 tbsp. of heavy cream little by little, processing each time, until you have a dough-like puree that doesn’t stick to your hands. Remove the puree from the processor, form it into a ball and let it rest on a tray covered with wax paper in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Melt the bitter chocolate in a double boiler or microwave oven. Gently whisk one tbsp. of heavy cream into to melted chocolate.
Break off pieces of the chestnut puree and form them into balls the size of chestnuts. Roll them in the melted chocolate to cover all sides with the help of a fork. Place each ball on a tray covered with wax paper. Garnish the top of each ball with ground pistachio nuts before the chocolate hardens.
Refrigerate tray of candy for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the chocolate to set.
For serving, place each candy in a small paper confection cup or arrange them on a serving dish. A chocolate chestnut or two goes very well with coffee and boxes of them make wonderful gifts.
Source: The Spruce Eats - Elizabeth Taviloglu