Fall in love with France, one recipe at a time.

A weekly recipes letter for those who love French food in all its glory.

Menu de Châtaignes – A Chestnut Feast from Forest to Table

Three ways to celebrate the humble chestnut — from the first sip of soup to the last spoonful of sweetness.

There’s something deeply poetic about chestnuts. They fall from the trees like forgotten treasures, wrapped in prickly armor, waiting for a careful hand. For centuries, they’ve been the bread of the poor, the treat of the rich, and the quiet heartbeat of autumn tables across France.

This week, we follow them from the woods to the kitchen — in a three-course menu that tastes like October itself.

Starter

Velouté de Châtaignes, Poire et Noisette

A silky chestnut soup kissed with pear and hazelnut warmth.

The French have a gift for harmony, and this soup proves it. Sweet pear, earthy chestnut, and roasted hazelnut come together like old friends around the same hearth. In the Limousin countryside, this combination often appears at the start of festive dinners, balancing elegance and comfort.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 300 g (10 oz) cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped

• 1 ripe pear, peeled and diced

• 1 small shallot, chopped

• 1 leek, white part only, sliced

• 750 ml (3 cups) vegetable stock

• 100 ml (⅓ cup) cream

• 20 g (1½ tbsp) butter

• A handful of roasted hazelnuts, chopped

• Sea salt, white pepper

Method

Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté shallot and leek until soft. Add pear and chestnuts, cook briefly, then pour in the stock. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Blend until smooth, stir in the cream, season, and serve topped with hazelnuts.

It’s a soup that smells like wet leaves and woodsmoke — comforting, elegant, and utterly French.

🍷 Wine pairing

A Vouvray Sec from the Loire — floral and mineral, balancing the sweetness of pear with the nuttiness of chestnut.

Main Course

Filet de Porc aux Châtaignes et Vin Blanc

Tender pork tenderloin roasted with chestnuts, white wine, and herbs

In Burgundy, pork and chestnuts have long shared the same table — one raised in the orchard, the other fallen from its branches. This dish is both rustic and refined: slices of pork tenderloin, browned in butter and simmered gently with white wine, chestnuts, and shallots until everything melts into a golden sauce.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 600 g (1¼ lb) pork tenderloin, cut into medallions

• 200 g (7 oz) cooked chestnuts

• 2 shallots, finely chopped

• 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine

• 150 ml (⅔ cup) chicken stock

• 100 ml (⅓ cup) cream

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 30 g (2 tbsp) butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 sprig thyme

• Salt and pepper

Method

In a skillet, heat butter and oil. Sear the pork medallions until golden, then set aside. In the same pan, sauté shallots and thyme, deglaze with wine, and reduce by half. Add stock, cream, and mustard, then stir in chestnuts. Simmer until thick and glossy, return pork to coat, and serve immediately.

It’s the kind of dish you linger over, with bread to chase the sauce and a sigh to follow the last bite.

🍷 Wine pairing

A Côtes du Jura Chardonnay or a light Burgundy — buttery, nutty, and alive with freshness.

Dessert

Mont-Blanc aux Châtaignes et Cassis

A classic chestnut cream dessert reborn with blackcurrant sparkle

In the salons of old Paris, the Mont-Blanc was the height of sophistication — a swirl of sweet chestnut purée crowned with whipped cream. But in the mountain cafés of Savoie, cooks added their own touch: a streak of tart cassis, to wake the senses.

Ingredients

(Serves 4–6)

• 300 g (10 oz) sweetened chestnut purée

• 200 ml (¾ cup) heavy cream, whipped

• 1 tbsp sugar (if needed)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp crème de cassis (or cassis jam)

• Candied chestnuts (marrons glacés, optional) for garnish

Method

Whisk the chestnut purée with vanilla and cassis until smooth. In glasses or small bowls, pipe alternating layers of chestnut cream and whipped cream. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Top with a drizzle of cassis and a piece of marron glacé.

It’s rich, yes — but in the way of an embrace, not an indulgence.

🍷 Wine pairing

A glass of Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé — delicate bubbles that dance with the chestnut’s sweetness

Recipe Articles

The arrival of chestnut season in France is marked by the scent of smoke, damp leaves, and châtaignes rôties wafting through Paris streets and rural villages alike.

Once considered “the bread of the forest”, chestnuts were a crucial staple for mountain communities, nourishing families through harsh winters.

Today, this tradition endures, with locals roasting chestnuts over open flames or in home ovens, often adding coarse salt and a sprig of rosemary for a fragrant, nostalgic touch.

The ritual of peeling and eating warm chestnuts—sometimes with butter, sometimes plain—evokes a sense of home and simple comfort, especially when paired with a Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge or a sip of Armagnac by the hearth.

As night markets glow in Dijon or Lyon, follow the smoky aroma; here, roasted chestnuts are best enjoyed together, one for each story shared.

In Ardèche, autumn brings the golden blush of forests and the inviting aroma of sugar and smoke.  

Here, nearly every kitchen simmers a pot of chestnuts, slowly coaxed into Crème de Marrons—a silky, comforting chestnut cream that’s as nostalgic as it is delicious.  

This treat is simple yet indulgent: just chestnuts, sugar, vanilla, and time.

Locals spoon it over crêpes, swirl it into yogurt, fill madeleines, or, perhaps best of all, eat it straight from the jar while the kettle boils.

A sip of Vin Doux Naturel or espresso perfectly highlights the cream’s caramel depth.  

Like lavender honey in Provence or salted caramel in Brittany, chestnuts are Ardèche’s signature sweetness.  

Once you’ve tasted Crème de Marrons, the comforting scent of autumn lingers in your kitchen long after the leaves fall.

And so…

From forest floor to crystal glass, the chestnut finds its place at every course.

A fruit of patience, a flavor of warmth, a whisper of France in every bite.

Bon appétit

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefrenchfork

Mail us today at:

servicedesk@thefrenchfork.com