Chinese Desserts, Cakes and Confectionery Recipes - Peking Dust Recipe

Ingredients

• 450g/1 lb chestnuts

• milk

• 5ml/1 tsp vanilla essence

• 25g/2 tbsp butter

• 50g/1/4 cup sugar

• 15ml/1 tbsp brandy

• 1/2 egg white

• pinch of cream of tartar

• pinch of salt

• 120ml/1/2 cup double cream, whipped

• 50g/1/4 cp icing sugar

• 50g/2 oz maraschino cherries

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Method:

1. Shell the chestnuts, place in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 minutes then drain.

2. Cover the chestnuts with milk and add half the chestnuts with milk and add half the vanilla essence. Heat gently but do not boil.

3. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chestnuts are tender. Drain, discarding the milk.

4. Mash the chestnuts with the butter, half the sugar and the brandy.

5. Beat the egg white with the cream of tartar then fold in the salt and the remaining sugar and vanilla essence.

6. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and squeeze into a nest shape on a foil-lined baking tray.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 140C/275F/gar mark 1 for about 40 minutes until golden. Leave to cool slightly then transfer to s serving plate.

8. Spoon the chestnut mixture into a clean piping bag and squeeze it out in thin threads over the egg nest to form a mound on top.

9. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and garnish the nest with cream and cherries.