A Vagabond Life - Food

Before roasting chestnuts they should be rinsed and dried, and a small slit or cross must be made in the skin or they will burst. Pre-heat the oven to 200°CC. Roast prepared chestnuts, in small batches, for 10-20 minutes. Transfer to a tea-towel. Alternatively, you can cook the prepared chestnuts in batches, in a saucepan of simmering water for approximately 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a tea-towel. Whether you roast or boil, chestnuts are very difficult to peel once cold. Wear heat-resistant gloves, or use a tea-towel, and peel them as soon as possible.

Walnuts We have four gorgeous huge walnut trees on our property which give us lovely shade in the summer and an abundance of nuts in Autu mn. Here are a couple of cakes I have recently made using walnuts that are delicious. Walnut Cake 150 g softened butter (unsalted is best) 4 eggs, seperated 150g castor sugar 200g shelled walnuts chopped (I use the rolling pin and give them a bit of a bash) 150g plain flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Grated rind of 1 lemon pinch cinnamon 1 tablespoon rum (optional) Pre heat the oven to 180 C and grease the cake tin with butter. Cream the butter the beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in the sugar and walnuts, sift in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Add lemon rind, cinnamom and rum. Stiffly whip the egg whites until they form peaks and fold into the mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin an bake for about 1 hour. Leave to cool and then turn out. Delicious as a dessert with custard or...