A Box of Chestnuts

A historical recipe from 365 Luncheon Dishes, by Anonymous (1902).

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A historical recipe

365 Luncheon Dishes: A Luncheon Dish for Every Day in the Year, by Anonymous (1902). Project Gutenberg eBook #24384.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Ingredients 1 ingredient

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

Hot oil. Never put water on an oil fire: turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid or a damp tea towel. Pat food dry before it goes into hot oil, and lower it in gently, away from you.
Deep frying. Fill the pan no more than a third full of oil, and never leave it on the heat unattended. Heat the oil only to the temperature the recipe needs; if it smokes, turn the heat off.
Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Shell 1 qt.
of chestnuts and cover with boiling water;
leave them for fifteen minutes, then rub off the brown skins.
Put them into a saucepan, cover them with soup stock and let them boil 1/2 an hour;
when done, drain.
Save the stock.
Into a frying pan put 1 tablespoonful of butter and when melted add 1 of flour;
cook until browned, then add the stock and stir until it boils;
add salt and pepper to taste.
Lay the chestnuts in a box made of fried bread and pour the sauce over.
To make the box, take a loaf of bread, cut off the crust and leave the sides as smooth as possible.
Cut out the centre, leaving a box shaped piece.
Fry this in deep fat.