Seasonal Dishes: Chestnuts

By Misty Sloane

Fall is carried into Shanghai on the shoulders of chestnut vendors. Stirring their roasted wares in woks of hot charcoals, they send the autumnal nutty perfume into the air and bid farewell to Indian summers.

While you can grab a jin of chestnuts on street corners around town for just RMB 18, you can also hum Bing Crosby’s holiday tune while dining on dishes incorporating the ingredient in restaurants all over town. Among those using the richly-flavoured nut in their seasonal menus is Alchemist. The molecular pub’s fall prix fixe menu includes a Foie Gras and Chestnuts (RMB 138) dish that tastes just like autumn.

Despite the fact it is billed as an appetiser, the foie gras (another fall favourite) is roughly the size of a small steak. We’re not sure how much gavage went into the making of this dish, but it is one honking slab of duck liver. Pears poached in port pair perfectly with the foie, and not because of their alliterative properties. The alcohol-soaked fruits add even more richness, but it’s the chewy chestnuts on the side, flavoured with a can’t-miss butter toffee concoction, that add textural depth to this dish. As if there weren’t enough fall flavours, Chef-owner Kelley Lee has also added a chestnut puree to make sure you won’t forget it’s that time of year when leaves fall and fires crackle. Pair it with Dr Lee’s Cider House Remedy, a hot spiced cider with rum and coffee molasses and a carrot foam on top, to really round out the season.