Vegan and gluten-free chocolate and chestnut pudding

Chestnuts, Christmas and Solan

When we arrived in Solan in 1992, we found about a hectare of chestnut grove, some of which was over 400 years old. It was overgrown, inaccessible and suffering from canker, a disease that ravages trees.

Little by little, first by trial and error, then following with the advice and counseling of Jean-François Lalfert, a farmer from Ardèche and a true expert in chestnut growing, we set about restoring this plant heritage, emblematic tree of the Cévennes, of which Solan occupies the very last foothills.

The trees have been treated with a strain of hypovirulent canker, which does not harm the chestnut tree but competes with its harmful cousin, and the overgrown pines have been cut down, taking care to leave those on the south side of the young chestnut trees, so that they act as parasols during their tender years.

Finally, on 14 November, we planted seedlings made on site with chestnuts selected from the trees that were the most resistant and best adapted to the summer drought. These chestnuts spent last winter in a refrigerated chamber (to simulate the extreme cold they need to germinate!), were planted in pots in the spring and finally put in the ground by a happy group of student naturalists, surrounded by their teachers and seasoned foresters, who all pitched in.

The chestnut grove thanks us for this care by providing us with tasty fruits, which are put through a blowtorch (in an old washing machine drum!) to be peeled, thus acquiring a fine roasted flavour.

We use this fruit primarily to make our chestnut jam, which is well known to the people of Uzès, but we also make a number of desserts, including chocolate flan.

This pudding is a Lenten dessert - it contains no animal products and can therefore be served in an Orthodox home during the 40 days before Christmas, when the Lenten season of Advent prepares us spiritually and physically (the two go together) for the feast. Vegetable milk can, however, easily be replaced by cow's milk, depending on taste.

In Solan, this dessert is often eaten on the feast of St Nicholas (6 December), before being replaced on Christmas Eve by a dried fruit compote that sums up the traditional thirteen desserts.

The recipe

Serves around 10

Ingredients

600g unsweetened and lightly salted The chesnut purée, 90g margarine, 170g sugar, 60g cocoa powder, 30g liquid vanilla, 100g soya milk (or other vegetable drink), 240g dark chocolate.

Preparation

In a saucepan, heat the chestnut purée with the margarine and sugar, stirring constantly.  Be careful, it will stick!

When the mixture starts to boil, pour in the cocoa previously diluted in the liquid vanilla and soya milk. Stir well and add 240 g of dark chocolate cut into small pieces. When the chocolate has completely melted, turn off the heat.

Pour into a dish and chill overnight before serving.

Many thanks to Sister Iossifia and the entire community of the Solan Monastery for sharing this recipe.

The right address: Monastère de Solan, 1942 route de Cavillargues, La Bastide d'Engras. Contact: Tel: 04 66 82 99 12, contact@monastere-de-solan.com.