Chestnut Stuffing

The best chestnuts are the ones imported from France, where commercial production is centred on Privas in the Ardèche, in northern Languedoc. There the nuts are cultivated, with most of them being canned or sold as sweetened and unsweetened purées. The best nuts are used for the toothachingly sweet marrons glacés. These days the best way to buy chestnuts is vacuum-packed. These are fresh, have been peeled and are in every way superior to the tinned variety. This stuffing can be cooked insid