Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

It became a recent goal of mine to live out a popular Christmas carol. No, not the 12 days of Christmas. All those birds flying about surrounded by maids a milking, pipers piping, and lords a leaping would be more than I could take! It was the opening phrase to "The Christmas Song" that caught my attention one day when I heard it on the radio. It got me thinking, "What's so important about roasting chestnuts on an open fire?" It had to be a big deal to someone because it made it in this popular Christmas carol that we sing time and time again. Come to think of it, I've never seen or tasted a chestnut, not without my knowing at least. Thus began my mind twirling, concocting, and planning as I mulled over the possibility of recreating this lyric.

Apparently, roasting chestnuts is a Christmas tradition in other parts of the world, but it hadn't found it's way into my life, until now. Perhaps it's because chestnuts are hard to find in my neck of the woods. I happened upon them while grocery shopping in Trader Joe's, imported all the way from Italy. I was so excited when I spotted them, I could scarcely believe what I was seeing, especially since I had never seen one before.

Through my research, I found several ways to roast chestnuts and on New Year's Eve, set out to conduct this experiment using the outdoor grill. Unfortunately, the grill ran out of propane. I was faced with a dilemma. I wanted to be authentic to the song and roast chestnuts over an "open" fire but I had to result to plan B - the oven. After cutting an "X" into the chestnuts so they wouldn't explode when baking or eating, I placed them in a baking tin for 20 minutes at 400 degrees so they were almost cooked. To pay homage to the song lyric, I quickly placed them in my fireplace on top of a roaring fire. It was a beautiful site to see and quite a moment to witness as Nat King Cole sang the song in the background. I must say, chestnuts are quite tasty, the meat of the nut looking much like little golden brains. I now have a fonder appreciation for this song and look forward to making this one of my Christmas traditions, provided I can find chestnuts.

To see photos of this event, click on the below image. It's an experiment worth trying!

Roasting Chestnuts