"Karyoka" Turkish Chocolate-Covered Chestnuts

Before you begin, you must boil your chestnuts until tender. To do this, using a sturdy, sharp knife, slice into the outer hull crosswise each chestnut making a slit deep enough to penetrate the inner hull as well.

Put the chestnuts in a large saucepan and fill it with water to cover the chestnuts well. Bring to a boil and let the chestnuts boil with a cracked lid for about 20 minutes or until they are very tender.

When the chestnuts are tender, drain them and run them under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Use the paring knife to remove the outer shell and the inner brown membrane. Be careful to remove all the membrane not leaving any small pieces.

First , put two cups of boiled, peeled chestnuts, powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. of heavy cream in a food processor and pulse on high until well blended.

Continue to add cream little by little, processing each time, until you have a dough-like puree that doesn't stick to your hands. Remove the puree from the mixer, form it into a ball and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Melt the bitter chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave oven. Gently whisk one tbsp. of heavy cream into to melted chocolate.

Break off pieces of the chestnut puree and form them into balls the size of chestnuts. Roll them in the melted chocolate to cover all sides with the help of a fork. Place each ball on a tray covered with wax paper. Garnish one side or the top of each ball with ground pistachio nuts before the chocolate hardens.

Place the tray in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the chocolate to set.

If you don't like working with melted chocolate, you can also roll your karyoka in cocoa powder to coat them.

For serving, you can place each candy in a small paper confection cup or arrange them on a fancy serving dish. A chocolate chestnut or two goes very well with coffee and boxes of them make wonderful gifts.