Crème de Marrons à l’Ancienne

In the Ardèche, where the forests blush gold by late October, the air smells faintly of sugar and smoke. In nearly every village kitchen, you’ll find a bubbling pot of chestnuts, slowly transforming into something soft, golden, and endlessly comforting — Crème de Marrons.

 

This chestnut cream isn’t just a spread. It’s a memory in a jar — the taste of afternoons spent shelling chestnuts by the fire, of spoons licked clean when no one was looking, of patient stirring that turns simplicity into indulgence.

 

The beauty of it lies in its restraint: just chestnuts, sugar, vanilla, and time. That’s all the French need to make magic.

 

Ingredients

 

(Makes about 500 ml / 2 cups)

 

• 400 g (14 oz) cooked and peeled chestnuts (vacuum-packed or freshly roasted)
• 250 g (1¼ cups) caster sugar
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
• A pinch of salt

 

Method

 

1. In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves completely.
2. Add the chestnuts and simmer over low heat for 20–25 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
3. Remove the vanilla bean and blend everything until smooth and silky. Add a splash of water if needed for consistency.
4. Return to the pot and simmer 5 minutes more, stirring gently — just until it thickens to the texture of soft caramel.
5. Pour into clean jars and let cool completely.

 

You can spoon it over crêpes, swirl it into yogurt, fill madeleines, or simply spread it thick on warm brioche. But the best way? Straight from the jar, by the spoonful, standing at the kitchen counter while the kettle boils.

 

🍷 Pairing suggestion

 

Serve it with a small glass of Vin Doux Naturel from Roussillon or a sip of espresso. Both highlight the chestnut’s deep, caramel soul.

 

A final note

 

In France, every region has its own sweetness. Provence has lavender honey, Brittany its salted caramel — but the Ardèche, ah, she has chestnuts.

And once you’ve tasted this golden cream, the scent of autumn will never quite leave your kitchen.