Chestnut Candy

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Ingredients :

1kg. chestnut
700gr.sugar

(For broken chestnut candy) Various complementary stuff like chocolate souce or crunchs, hazelnut crunchs, grated coconut etc.

Directions :

1. Shell the chestnuts (You may like to refer to the Chestnut Shelling Technique).

2. Put the sugar in a pot and pour water to the level of approximately 2cm (or a finger width) above the sugar.

3. At high level of heat, without stirring, let it boil vigoriously once and get down the heat to medium level and let all of the sugar cristals melt and turn to syrup.

4. Get down the heat to the lowest level and put the chestnuts in the syrup, not to break, gently.

5. Get the heat level high again and wait for it to come to the boiling point (but NEVER roll, otherwise all of the chestnuts will lose their integrity and break in pieces).

6. Keep the syrup at simmering heat for 1 to 2 hours (up to the hardness of chestnuts).
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Tips :* You can keep the chestnuts in the syrup as long as a month or so, in refrigerator. Whenever you want to use them you can get the whole chestnuts with your fingers gently (with a glove), and if you consider to use the broken pieces, filter it over colander (keep on colander for at least an hour).

* You can keep the syrup in freezer for a next time.

* In any case some of the chestnuts will be smashed and break in pieces. You can evaluate them in cakes or after filtering them over a colander, you can get walnut-big chunks of it, get them rolled in your hands and turn to little balls, and roll thoroughly in hazelnut, pistachio or chocolate crunches, grated coconut or dip in chocolate souce (or anything else you like).

* To be able to give shape in your hands to something sticky and to avoid it to stick on your hands, you will need a little cup of water to wet your hands slightly every now and then.
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