A questo punto li metto in una nuova pentola con latte, zucchero e sale e faccio bollire altri 40 minuti circa, finché non inizia ad asciugare il latte. Scolo i marroni e li passo a setaccio. 

Incorporo alla purea ottenuta il cacao, la vanillina e il Rum. Io ho usato due bei bicchieri di crema al Bicerìn, un liquore al cioccolato… un'ottima scelta! Amalgamo bene il tutto e ripasso al setaccio. L'impasto ottenuto deve essere asciutto e compatto. Divido il composto in 6 piattini e formo dei monticelli. Monto la panna insieme ai cucchiai di zucchero a velo e con l'aiuto di una sac à poche con bocchetta a stella ricopro di panna i monti. Posso poi spolverare la punta con cacao amaro, aggiungere pezzetti di marron glacé e porne uno intero sulla cima. Voilà, il nostro monte squisito e innevato è pronto per essere gustato!

English version

It's the season of chestnuts and Piedmont is rich of chestnuts… Famous for its variety called "Marrone", a cultivated chestnut improved with grafts. The "Marroni" are larger than the wild chestnuts, with a hedgehog structure that holds up to 2 or 3, it has a streaked peel, the skin can be removed easier and the pulp is more fragrant. In Piedmont we can mention the variety from Cuneo and Val di Susa, which are registered products with Protected Geographical Indication. Due to their characteristics, they are ideal for desserts, especially for "Marrons Glacés", candied and glazed chestnuts... a real refinement of the best bakeries in Piedmont! It seems that they are born in Cuneo and prepared by a pastry chef of the Savoy court in the sixteenth century. The recipe appears in the treatise "Confetturiere Piemontese" , printed in Turin in 1766. The procedure of candying is really long and complicated... It is cooked and dipped in sugar syrup for several days and glazed in the final stage, with a very high risk of breaking the chestnut in its long process. Well, for best results, let a a great pastry chef do them!

The dessert with chestnut for excellence is the "Monte Bianco" or ""Mont Blanc", a mountain of whipped cream stuffed with a sweet chestnut puree, dusted with cocoa and delicious Marrons Glacés! As we know, the Mont Blanc is a mountain that stands between France and Valle d' Aosta. The dessert has probable French origin, but is widespread in the Piedmont region, due to its large chestnut belt.

The preparation itself is simple, but requires a little bit of patience to peel the chestnuts.

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

Coverture

For this recipe it is best to use Marroni chestnuts, because they are larger and easier to peel. But it will also fit an other large chestnut. I chose to do mini portions and to follow the more quick and traditional method.

First I prepare the filling, the chestnut puree. I wash the chestnuts and I practice a cut on the skin until I feel the pulp. I boil them in a pot with water for about 10 minutes. Then I drain two or three pieces at a time, and I peel them by also removing the inner skin. This work should be done quickly, as the skins will be easier to remove if the chestnut is hot.

At this point I put them in a new pot with milk, sugar and salt, and I boil them for additional 40 minutes, until the milk starts to dry. I drain the chestnuts and pitch them in a sieve. I incorporate to the puree cocoa, vanilla and Rum. I used two nice glasses of Bicerìn, a creamy chocolate liqueur from Turin… great choice! I amalgamate well and sift the dough again. The dough should be dry and compact. I divide it into 6 saucers and I form mounds. Then I whip the the cream with the tablespoons icing sugar. I cover it with the whipped cream using a pastry bag with star tip. I can dust the top with cocoa add put chopped or wholes Marrons Glacés on the top. Voilà, our exquisite snowy mountain snow is ready to be enjoyed!

Ingredienti (per 4 porzioni)

Coulis di ciliegie

Innanzitutto metto in acqua fredda i fogli di colla di pesce per un paio di minuti, finché non si ammorbidiscono.

Verso in un pentolino la panna liquida e aggiungo la bacca di vaniglia, incisa nel senso della lunghezza e lo zucchero a velo. Faccio scaldare tutto senza raggiungere mai il bollore. Immergo nella panna la colla di pesce strizzata per bene e mescolo finché non si scioglie completamente.

I start crumbling by hands the Amaretti. We can also use a mixer to chop more finely. I whip the entire eggs in a bowl with the help of an electric whisk. I add sugar, cocoa and the ground Amaretti. By hand I also join milk and Rum or Coffee (I preferred Coffee).
Apart I caramelize the sugar by melting 100g of sugar in a saucepan until it turns hazel blond. I spray a bit of cold water to make strings and then I pour the hot caramel into the mold scrolling it quickly and covering all the bottom and the sides. Usually we use an elongated Plumcake mold. We must be careful not to burn oneself, because the caramel is very hot! 

When it hardens, I pour the mixture into the mold and I bake it in bain-marie placing it on a bigger baking sheet with a little bit of water at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. The mixture is ready when it begins to come off from the sides. I let it cool for several hours and before serving I turn it upside down on a plate. I place on the top Amaretti for decoration, in a row if we use a stretched mold, or only one if we use single portion molds. We liked it very much! It's very gourmand and really perfect for ending a special dinner! Chapeau Piemonte! Or better… "Bonét";)

La preparazione non richiede particolari accorgimenti… Trito innanzitutto le nocciole nel mixer con un po' di zucchero. L'ideale è usare metà nocciole tritate finemente e metà nocciole pestate grossolanamente a mano. 

Monto a neve ferma gli albumi a temperatura ambiente in una pentola grande e unisco man mano lo zucchero.

At first you should make the hazelnut flour: I toasted shelled hazelnuts in high temperature oven for a minute. I've shelled and peeled them. The skin comes off easily with your hands. I've chopped them in a blender to obtain a rather fine flour.
Now I whip the eggs with sugar and them I add softened butter, grated rind of a lemon and sifted flour with baking powder. At the beginning we can use a whisk. Then I join the chopped hazelnuts, a tablespoon of olive oil and a cup of milk to mix better.

After mixing well until we get a homogeneous mixture I pour it into a greased and floured round cake pan and I bake it at 150 degrees for about 30 minutes. I have used half ingredients and a 24cm diameter round pan: the result is a thin but good tasty cake.
Once baked, we can sprinkle icing sugar on and serve a slice with honey or Zabaione... A true goodness!

Nel frattempo possiamo sciogliere il cioccolato a bagnomaria, e quando i biscotti saranno pronti, riempiamo una sac a poche e versiamo una goccia di cioccolato sulla parte piatta del biscotto. Meglio aspettare che il cioccolato s'indurisca un po' per evitare che coli. Chiudiamo poi delicatamente con un altro biscottino e ripetiamo lo stesso procedimento per tutti. Lasciamo che il cioccolato si raffreddi e serviamo con un bel bicchiere di spumante delle Langhe!;)

Two hazelnut caps that blend in a dark chocolate kiss originating in Tortona, in the province of Alexandria, which has a long tradition of chocolate confectionery. There they were born a century ago, but someone  ascribes its invention also to a pastry chef of the Savoy family in 1852. Th name come from the its particular shape which seem like a pair of lips intent to kiss. They are still made with the original ingredients: hazelnuts, flour, sugar, butter and melted chocolate as a filling.

Recently they are also made with almonds, mixed with almonds and hazelnuts, and there is a cocoa variant with the addition of cocoa in the dough.

The traditional recipe doesn't use egg, but I prefer to add it. To prepare the Baci di Dama, you first need to chop the peeled hazelnuts flour. I suggest to buy the whole hazelnuts, that we have to shell and peel by toasting them in oven for just a minute. Once peeled, we can mix them in a blender together with sugar until we get a fine hazelnut flour. If we have bought a nice and ready hazelnut flour we just need to mix it with all the ingredients.