The Mont Blanc — or Mont-Blanc aux marrons, in Italy we call it Monte Bianco — is a dessert of puréed, sweetened chestnuts topped with whipped cream.
The name comes from Mont Blanc, as it resembles a snow-capped mountain.
The Mont Blanc is very popular in northern Italy and France. It was described in an Italian cook book from 1475, and was often served in the home of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia.
The Mont Blanc finally became popular in France in the 17th century, around 1620.
The following one is the recipe of Mont Blanc that my grandmother prepared in Bologna.
Get ready: the duration will be about 2 or 3 hours. But the result will surely surprise you :)
Boil the chestnuts in a pot of water until they become soft. Then remove the skin and strain the chestnut with a masher in a bowl.
Add the cocoa, the milk and the sugar, little by little. Mix everything with care.
Strain the mixture through the masher, twice: the result will be a pile of vermicelli that make everything very soft. During the second passage, lay the result on a plate: in this way you have made the mountain. Now prepare yourself for the snowy part!
Whip the cream, adding some spoon of sugar and spread it on the pile of chestnuts strained. The Mont Blanc is ready.
Some people add a liqueur to the mix — cognac, or rum: I don'’t do it because it distorts the flavor of chestnuts and chocolate. I suggest you to drink liqueurs separately, as well as a glass of red wine that fit very pleasantly with the chestnut and the cocoa.
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