This is supposed to resemble snow-capped Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc).
2 kilos of fresh chestnuts, 300g of icing sugar, a couple of tablespoonfuls of cocoa, a tot of brandy, fresh cream.
Wash the chestnuts, cut a slit in the pointed end and boil them for 10 minutes. Then peel them (take care as they are steaming hot), removing as much of the inner brown skin as possible. Then boil them again in just enough water to cover them, adding a little cream to the water if you wish. Turn off the heat when the chestnuts are very soft, and drain off the water. Don’t discard it. Purée the chestnuts with 300g of icing sugar, a couple of tablespoonfuls of cocoa and a tot of brandy, with just enough of the cooking-water to make a soft purée. Taste it and add more icing-sugar, cocoa or brandy if necessary. Just before serving, whip some fresh cream until it stands in soft peaks and sweeten it slightly with icing-sugar. Then press it through a potato-ricer to make mounds on individual plates. Top these with a blob of cream and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of cocoa-powder. You can make the purée up to two days in advance and chill it; bringing it to room temperature just before serving.