If you’ve been looking for ideas for what to do with all of those chestnuts you’ve been roasting this holiday season (or boiling, fire-roasting, or air frying, for that matter!), then this Mont Blanc recipe is your elegant, decadent answer to what to do with chestnuts.
While it is a slightly more hands-on recipe than you may be used to here on Foolproof Living, we believe the finished chestnut mont blanc is well worth the effort. The combination of crisp meringue, sweetened cream, and the nutty notes in the chestnut puree is divine!
Below, you will find everything you need to know, including step-by-step photos, equipment to use, and some time-saving tips to help make this Mont Blanc dessert recipe approachable and accessible for you to master as an at-home baker.
What is Mont Blanc dessert made of?
Our recipe for Mont Blanc is split into three separate components. We’ve listed the ingredients needed for each part of the recipe below—each requires a short list of easy-to-find ingredients.
Mont Blanc Meringue Ingredients:
- Egg whites: You’ll need two large egg whites to make enough for ten individual servings of this French Mont Blanc dessert. It is best to separate the egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are cold—this will help you keep them out of whites, which is essential for a proper meringue.
- Cane sugar: We used natural cane sugar in this recipe, but you can also swap in coconut sugar or granulated sugar.
- White vinegar and cream of tartar: Both of these ingredients add acidity, which helps aerate the meringue structure quicker and greatly improves the structure.
- Vanilla extract: Just a touch adds sweetness and flavor to the meringue discs.
Mont Blanc Chestnut Puree Ingredients:
- Chestnuts: We’re using store-bought peeled and cooked chestnuts (affiliate link), which are readily available and reduce the preparation time by skipping the roasting and peeling of the chestnuts. But if you’d like to cook the chestnuts yourself, you can follow my recipes for roasted chestnuts in the oven, boiled chestnuts, air fried chestnuts, or roasting chestnuts on an open fire.
- Milk: We used whole milk in this recipe and recommend sticking to full-fat dairy here rather than skim milk.
- Kosher salt: Kosher’s granule size is key here, so we recommend not swapping in table salt.
- Cane sugar: We used natural cane sugar in this recipe, but you can also use coconut sugar or granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract: If you’d like a richer flavor than extract, feel free to swap in half of a whole vanilla bean with the seeds scraped out.
Mont Blanc Whipped Cream Ingredients:
- Heavy cream: Both heavy cream and whipping cream can be used in this recipe. The cream must be cold to whip successfully, so we recommend removing it from the fridge right before using it.
- Maple syrup: Two tablespoons is enough to sweeten the cream. Make sure to use proper maple syrup rather than maple flavoring—the taste is far superior and perfectly complements the chestnut flavors.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt: These two ingredients add flavor and balance to the whipped cream.
Mont Blanc Dessert Finishing Decor Ingredients (Optional):
- Powdered (confectioners) sugar: Traditionally, Mont Blanc cake is dusted in powdered sugar over the top of the domed chestnut puree strands. The confectioner’s sugar adds sweetness, making this dessert resemble the highest snowy mountains in the Alps.
- Edible gold leaf: It is optional, but if you’d like to add a pop of color to this decadent dessert, you can decorate the finished dessert with pieces of gold leaf (affiliate link).
How To Make Mont Blanc Dessert?
While the process below might look intimidating, we covered all the detailed steps to walk you through. After all, this is one of the most iconic chestnut desserts of all time, and we hope that after reviewing each component covered below, you will see that it is actually not that difficult.
Make The Meringue
Start by making mont blanc with the meringue as it takes the most amount of time. Below are the steps to making the meringue:
- Get your oven ready: Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. (93 degrees C.) Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Create a bain-marie: A bain-marie is essentially a double boiler, so if you have one, feel free to use it here. Otherwise, place a bowl over a pan of simmering water—just make sure the pan doesn’t touch the water.
- Dissolve the sugar in warmed egg whites: Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl and stir continuously with a rubber spatula. Scrape down the sides as you go to ensure all of the sugar is blended into the mixture. Keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and no grains are left. You can test this by rubbing some mixture between your fingers, or when the mixture has reached 160 degrees F. (71 degrees C).
- Whisk the egg mixture: Add the egg white mixture to a stand mixer’s bowl and whisk until aerated. Then add the vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and vinegar.
- Whip into peaks: Turn the speed up and whip the mixture until it’s cooled, voluminous, and glossy. When the whisk is lifted out, the mixture should stand in stiff peaks.
- Pipe the meringue: Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (affiliate link). You can also cut the end off a ziplock bag, leaving a roughly 1” diameter hole—pipe ten meringue rounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. The discs should have a dome and be 2 inches or so in diameter. Use the back of a spoon to clean them up if necessary.
- Bake the meringues: Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for one and a half hours. Do not open the door at any point. When done, turn the oven off and let the meringues cool in the oven for a couple of hours. In the end, they should be fully cooled and crisp to the touch.
Make The Chesnut Puree
It is best to make the chestnut puree while the meringues are baking. Below are the basic steps of making chestnut puree (also called chestnut vermicelli). You can learn more about it in our chestnut puree recipe if you need further information.
- Soften the chestnuts: Add chestnuts, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to a saucepan set over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the milk has reduced by half. Keep a close eye on it and stir it frequently.
- Strain: Pass the mixture through a strainer, reserving the reduced milk mixture. Let the chestnuts and milk cool for 10 minutes.
- Puree the chestnuts: Add the softened chestnuts to the bowl of a food processor along with ½ cup of the reserved milk mixture. Blend until a smooth puree is formed. Add more milk, if necessary, in one tablespoon increments until you have a perfectly smooth, pipeable consistency.
- Pass the puree through a sieve: Since we’ll pass the puree through the piping tip to turn it into “vermicelli”, it is imperative that the puree have no lumps. Therefore, while it might come as an extra step, pressing it through a fine mesh sieve is best to produce a beautifully smooth chestnut puree. We’ll then cover it and let it rest at room temperature to cool completely.
Make The Whipped Cream:
While it is not traditional, we use our maple whipped cream for this chestnut Mont Blanc dessert recipe. That being said, if you want, you can use more of a traditional whipped cream made with confectioner sugar instead.
- Gather the ingredients: Add heavy cream, maple syrup, and salt to the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- Whip the cream to firm peaks: Start whisking on low until the cream has soft peaks. Then, turn the mixer up to medium and continue to whisk until the cream forms a firm peak and holds its shape.
- Cool: Refrigerate until ready to assemble your Mont Blanc.
The Assembly
- Pipe cream onto meringues: Place the meringues onto a serving platter. Spoon the maple whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a medium piping tip. Pipe dollops of cream onto the meringue. The shape of the meringue with cream on top should resemble a mountain’s peak.
- Pipe on chestnut puree: Spoon the chestnut paste dessert into a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip (affiliate link) and pipe the puree around the whipped cream until the cream is completely covered. This is called chestnut vermicelli; how thin your piping tip is will determine the thickness of the strands. Don’t worry about them being perfect. Do your best to create the highest mountain you can. It is totally fine for it to look rustic.
- Decorate: Dust the top of the meringue liberally with powdered sugar (for white mountains) and decorate it with flakes of edible gold leaf, if preferred. Alternatively, sprinkle broken-up meringue (or grated chocolate) over the top. Serve immediately.
How To Make Ahead & Store?
This is one of those recipes that definitely benefits from some pre-planning. Here are some helpful tips on how to prep & store the various elements.
- Make Ahead: All three elements can be made a day before serving. Simply make the meringues the night before and let them cool in the oven overnight. You can make the chestnut puree and whipped cream a day in advance and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble this chestnut dessert. However, we recommend removing the chestnut puree and letting it come to room temperature before piping.
- Storage: We recommend assembling your Mont Blanc desserts right before serving, as the meringue will soften and lose its crisp exterior quickly. If you’d like, you can store the separate components individually, though the completed dessert will not hold up.
Expert Tips
As far as dessert recipes with chestnuts go, this one is quite involved. However, if you’re excited to undertake this impressive French delicacy, then these Mont Blanc dessert tips and tricks will help you achieve a gorgeous final product:
- Use clean and dry equipment: This is one of the most important factors when making meringue. Your bowl, whisk, and utensils should be clean, dry, and grease-free. Any residue can inhibit the egg whites from whipping to the necessary voluminous peaks.
- Go low and slow when baking meringue: Don’t be tempted to turn the oven up to speed up the process. The meringue will only brown and have a burnt taste. Baking them in a low-heat oven helps dry out the egg whites, resulting in the signature crisp shell meringues known for.
- Process your puree for long enough: The chestnut puree must be smooth. Blend it in the food processor thoroughly, scraping the sides and base periodically. The piping tip used to create the chestnut vermicelli is so small that any lumps in the puree will get stuck in the tip when piping around the cream—a smooth, blended texture will avoid this frustration.
- Chestnut Cream: While testing this recipe, we noticed that some versions incorporate store-bought chestnut cream (a popular brand is Clement Faugier) to thin out the puree. However, since chestnut cream can be hard to find in the US, we opted to make our own puree from scratch using only chestnuts.
- Be patient when piping: Don’t rush the piping stage. Piping the chestnut puree is the main wow factor of this dessert. Start from the bottom and patiently go around the dome until fully covered. Also, remember that there’s no such thing as too messy. Snow-capped mountains are rustic!
- Assemble the individual Mont Blanc desserts right before serving: This recipe is best eaten on the day it’s served. The meringue will soften from the moisture of the cream if left for too long.
- Turn it into a Mont Blanc cake (aka Gateau Mont Blanc): As we worked on this recipe, we found variations where bakers turned this chestnut paste dessert into individual cakes by placing the meringue, cream, and chestnut vermicelli over a sponge cake. If you want to go in that direction, bake a sponge cake, bring it to room temperature, and cut rounds using a round cookie cutter (no larger than the diameter of your meringue). To assemble, place the meringue, and whipped cream on top and then pipe the chestnut puree over, starting from the bottom and going around until you reach the top and the whole thing is covered with chestnut vermicelli.
FAQs
What is a Mont Blanc dessert?
Mont Blanc is a French dessert created in the 19th century in Paris. It’s made by layering a disc of meringue with a dome of cream. Strands of sweet chestnut puree encase the outside of the cream and are dusted in powdered sugar to create the visual effects of mountain peaks.
What is the difference between Mont Blanc and Monte Bianco?
Monte Bianco dessert is the Italian variation of Mont Blanc with a few minor differences. While both versions featured sweetened chestnut puree, the Italian version usually includes the addition of rum (or other liqueurs) and cocoa powder.
What does Mont Blanc taste like?
Mont Blanch has a rich flavor profile, predominantly characterized by the earthy taste of sweetened chestnuts with a slightly buttery and nutty undertone. It is balanced with the mildly sweetened whipped cream and the crispy sweet meringue. The overall flavor is mildly sweet and luxurious chestnut dessert that celebrates the harmony of creamy textures and earthy autumnal flavors.
Diet Key
This Recipe is:
Other Chestnut Recipes
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Mont Blanc Dessert Recipe
Chestnuts are the essence of holiday indulgence, and the Gateau Mont Blanc recipe is the perfect way to showcase their rich, nutty flavor. This elegant dessert features a crisp baked meringue base, topped with airy whipped cream and a delicate swirl of sweetened chestnut puree, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
For The Meringue
- 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 6 tablespoons cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ tsp white distilled vinegar , or lemon juice
For The Chestnut Puree
- 1 ½ cups chestnuts, cooked peeled – storebought, or roast your own
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar, or granulated or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
For The Maple Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, or ½ vanilla bean (seeds scraped)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
To Decorate
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Edible gold leaf, optional
Instructions
To Make The Meringue:
- Preheat the oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On the stovetop, bring a saucepan with a few inches of water to a simmer. Add the egg whites and sugar into a clean metal or glass bowl and place it over the pan of water to make a double boiler. Be careful that the water does not touch the base of the bowl.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently and continuously stir the egg whites and sugar mixture, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Stir until the egg whites are warmed throughly and the sugar crystals have dissolved. This takes about 4 to 6 minutes. Test this by rubbing some of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger. The mixture should be warm to the touch, and you should not feel any sugar grains. If you do, it needs a little longer. Alternatively, a temperature probe should read 160F (70C) for a more accurate reading.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and pour the mixture into the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Alternatively, use a handheld electric whisk. Whisk on medium to low until the egg whites are foamy. Add in the vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and vinegar.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until the mixture has cooled significantly. The meringue should be voluminous and glossy, and when the whisk is removed, you should get stiff peaks.
- Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large plain piping tip, and pipe ten 2-inch round meringues* in a swirling motion so they end up approximately 1.5 inches tall on the tray in a cone shape. Once piped, you can use an offset spatula to clean them up, if necessary. With any remaining meringue, pipe little meringues that can be used as decoration or enjoyed separately.
- Bake the meringues for 1 ½ hours or until they are crisp. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool thoroughly. Or, if you have the time, leave it in the oven to cool thoroughly.
To Make The Chestnut Puree:
- Add chestnuts, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to a saucepan set over medium-high heat on the stovetop.
- Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer on medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until the milk has reduced to 2/3 cup and the chestnuts are tender. Towards the end, stir more frequently to prevent the liquid from scorching on the base and to break up the chestnuts.
- Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and strain the chestnuts from the liquid, keeping it for later. Allow the chestnuts and liquid to cool for ten minutes or so.
- Transfer the semi-cooled chestnuts to the bowl of a food processor, adding ½ cup of the reserved liquid. Process until pureed, stopping and scraping down the base and sides a few times.
- If necessary, add more of the reserved liquid (in one-tablespoon increments) until a smooth, pipeable consistency is achieved that will hold its shape.
- Press the chestnut puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining lumps and ensure the puree is extra smooth. Cover until ready to assemble.
To Make the Maple Whipped Cream:
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-low speed until it reaches soft peaks, about 1 minute.
- Increase the speed to medium and whip until firm peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.
To Assemble:
- Arrange meringues onto a serving platter.
- Spoon the chestnut puree into a piping bag fitted with a small plain piping tip. Set it aside.
- Spoon whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a medium plain piping tip.
- Pipe whipped cream onto the meringue in a cone shape. Smooth the cream with a spatula, if necessary.
- Pipe the chestnut puree around the whipped cream in overlapping circles, starting from the bottom and going around until the entire cone is covered.
- When ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar and decorate with edible gold leaf, if preferred.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes 10 chestnut mont blancs. The nutritional values below are per serving.
- *Helpful guide: If you are new to making meringue, you can use a small glass or bowl 2 inches in diameter and draw around it on the parchment paper to guide you through. Just be sure to flip the paper over before piping. You should see the circles through the paper as you pipe the meringue.
- Whipped Cream: We used our maple whipped cream to make sure that this recipe is naturally sweetened, but you can use any whipped cream recipe you like.
- To Make Ahead: You can make all components of this recipe a day or two in advance, store them individually and assemble them right before serving.
- Storing Leftovers: This is one dessert that doesn’t store well. Therefore, we recommend storing each component separately and assembling it right before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 215mg | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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