Chocolate Chestnut Cake Tourinoise (1967)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Cut a cross on the flat side of 2 lbs large chestnuts.

2. Roast in the oven on a cookie sheet until the shells spring open and are easily pulled off, about 12 minutes. If the inner shell comes off too, all the better.

3. In a saucepan, boil chestnuts for about 7 minutes, drain and draw off remaining inner skin.

4. Set a glass or metal loaf pan into freezer to chill.

5. Return chestnuts to saucepan and boil 30 minutes in water and 1/4 tspn salt.

6. Press chestnuts through a strainer or potato ricer and stir in:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 tspn vanilla
• 1 tbspn brandy

7. Melt over hot, not boiling, water, then add 8 oz semisweet chocolate. 

8. Pour mixture into chilled mold and return to refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

9. Unmold and serve decorated with 1 cup heavy cream, whipped.

(Origin - "The Chocolate and Coffee Cookbook" by Lillian Langseth-Christensen and Carol Sturm Smith, 1967. Aside: Lillian Langseth-Christensen was a writer for Gourmet magazine and author of many cookbooks. including "Gourmet's Old Vienna Cookbook.")