Chestnut and Pork Stuffing (Farce aux Marrons)
Whole chestnuts simmered in broth until just tender, folded into seasoned ground pork with shallots, thyme and a splash of Cognac, and baked in its own dish: the classic French stuffing for a Christmas turkey.
Dinde aux marrons, turkey with chestnuts, is the French Christmas roast. Auguste Escoffier's "Guide to Modern Cookery" (English edition, London, 1907) gives "Dindonneau farci aux marrons" as our 1716 recipe: chestnuts shelled, almost completely cooked in consommé, then mixed with very finely chopped pork and packed into a young turkey, served with its gravy separately (Project Gutenberg:). His chestnut recipes add that chestnuts meant for stuffing a goose or turkey should be kept "somewhat firm". Turkey itself came from the Americas: Pellegrino Artusi wrote in 1891 that the Spanish appear to have brought it to Europe early in the 1500s, and that the first turkeys in France were said to have cost a gold louis each. In parts of France turkeys were long nicknamed "Jesuits"; the reason given is DISPUTED (see Rules). Chestnut stuffing crossed the Atlantic too: Lafcadio Hearn's "La Cuisine Créole" (New Orleans, 1885) already describes chestnut stuffing made from sixty roasted chestnuts.
Why it works the kitchen science
Keep the chestnuts firm
A short simmer in broth seasons them without turning them to purée, so they stay as sweet, whole pieces against the rich pork, as Escoffier wanted.
Cover, then uncover
Foil keeps the pork moist while it cooks through, and the last 15 minutes uncovered browns the top.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish (8 by 8 inches or an oval gratin).
- Step 2
Put the chestnuts, broth and celery in a saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 10 minutes, until the chestnuts are tender but still whole and firm. Drain (save the broth) and discard the celery.
- Step 3
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the shallots and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the Cognac and let it bubble 30 seconds. Scrape into a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the pork, thyme, parsley, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the bowl and mix with your hands until evenly combined. Break about a third of the chestnuts into rough pieces and fold them in with the whole ones.
- Step 5
Spread the stuffing in the dish, drizzle 1/4 cup of the saved broth over the top and cover with foil.
- Step 6
Bake covered 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until browned on top, the juices run clear and the center reads 165°F.
- Step 7
Rest 10 minutes, spoon off any excess fat if you like, and serve with roast turkey or capon and its gravy.
Chestnut and Pork Stuffing (Farce aux Marrons)
Serves 8 · one 2-quart dish · 1 hr 15 min total
Chestnuts
- 14 oz peeled cooked chestnuts (two 7-oz packages or one jar)
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 celery rib, halved
Stuffing
- 1 tbsp butter, plus more for the dish
- 2 shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp Cognac or brandy
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart baking dish (8 by 8 inches or an oval gratin).
- Put the chestnuts, broth and celery in a saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 10 minutes, until the chestnuts are tender but still whole and firm. Drain (save the broth) and discard the celery.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the shallots and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the Cognac and let it bubble 30 seconds. Scrape into a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
- Add the pork, thyme, parsley, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg to the bowl and mix with your hands until evenly combined. Break about a third of the chestnuts into rough pieces and fold them in with the whole ones.
- Spread the stuffing in the dish, drizzle 1/4 cup of the saved broth over the top and cover with foil.
- Bake covered 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until browned on top, the juices run clear and the center reads 165°F.
- Rest 10 minutes, spoon off any excess fat if you like, and serve with roast turkey or capon and its gravy.
Adapted from Auguste Escoffier, "A Guide to Modern Cookery" (1907), our 1716 recipe (Dindonneau farci aux marrons) and 2173 (Stewed chestnuts, kept firm for stuffing), Project Gutenberg. Escoffier uses about 2 1/4 lb of chestnuts in the shell to 2 lb of pork for a young turkey; we use the same rough one-to-one ratio with peeled, cooked chestnuts (vacuum-packed or jarred) at half the size. The shallots, thyme, parsley, Cognac and the egg (which helps it hold together when baked on its own) are our additions, as are the dish size, oven temperature and times. We bake it separately, as FSIS advises. Project Gutenberg. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Fresh chestnuts: score the flat side with an X, roast at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes and peel while hot; 1 1/4 lb in the shell gives about 14 oz peeled.
- To stuff a turkey instead, follow every FSIS rule in the Food safety baseline and check the center of the stuffing for 165°F.
- Leftovers slice well cold, like a country pâté; refrigerate within 2 hours.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Chestnuts and pork, nothing else. Documented for Escoffier's 1716, which uses only chestnuts and pork; most home versions add bread, shallots, herbs or Cognac.
- The turkey reached France with the Jesuits. Disputed: French turkeys were nicknamed "Jesuits" in many places, which Napoleon.org notes, and a 19th-century story says the first flock was raised on a Jesuit farm near Bourges, but one source repeating that story calls it doubtful; Artusi (1891) says the Spanish brought turkeys to Europe early in the 1500s.
- Dinde aux marrons has always been the French Christmas dish. Folklore: we found no dated source for when it became the standard; search results say stuffed turkey became a French Christmas tradition in the 19th century, unverified.
- Stuff the bird the night before so the flavors blend. Documented as unsafe: FSIS says never to stuff ahead or refrigerate uncooked stuffing (Magoulas, FSIS).
Every other stuffing
Sage and Onion Stuffing (Mrs Beeton, 1861)
The Victorian English stuffing for goose, duck and pork: onions simmered until mild, chopped fine with fresh sage, worked together with bread crumbs, butter and an egg yolk, and baked in its own dish until crisp on top.
Artusi's Roast Chicken with Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing (1891)
Pellegrino Artusi's family stuffing of Italian sausage, chicken liver, roasted chestnuts, dried mushrooms and nutmeg, bound with egg and a little bread soaked in broth, packed into a whole chicken and roasted until the stuffing itself reads 165°F.
Lebanese Hashweh (Spiced Rice and Beef Stuffing)
Ground beef and onion browned in olive oil, seasoned with Lebanese seven-spice, cooked with basmati rice in chicken broth and finished with toasted pine nuts and parsley: served on its own or as a stuffing for turkey.
Italian-American Sausage and Fennel Stuffing
Oven-dried white bread cubes tossed with browned sweet Italian sausage, onion and fennel cooked in butter, fresh thyme, marjoram and sage, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered and then uncovered until golden.
Chinese-American Sticky Rice Stuffing
Soaked and steamed glutinous rice tossed with lap cheong (sweet Chinese sausage), onion and caramelized shiitake, seasoned with light and dark soy sauce and chicken stock, then roasted in a cast-iron skillet until the top and bottom turn crisp.
New England Sage Bread Stuffing
Dried French bread cubes tossed with onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, thyme, marjoram and parsley, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered until fragrant and then uncovered until a golden crust forms.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
A pan of cornbread baked, crumbled while hot and mixed with sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery, poultry seasoning, broth, milk and eggs, then baked in ridges with butter brushed on top until crisp outside and almost creamy inside.
New Orleans Oyster Dressing (Leah Chase)
Leah Chase's holiday dressing: day-old bread soaked in oyster liquor, browned ground beef and the Creole trinity cooked in butter, chopped Gulf oysters, thyme and cayenne, bound with egg and baked under seasoned bread crumbs.
Wild Rice Dressing (Minnesota)
Nutty wild rice cooked in broth, mixed with toasted bread crumbs, onion, celery, garlic, sage and thyme and a light custard of cream, eggs and the rice's own cooking liquid, baked covered until set.
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling
Half mashed potatoes, half stuffing: boiled potatoes beaten with milk, eggs and parsley, mixed with onion and celery cooked in butter and buttery toasted bread cubes, and baked until crusty on top.
Weeknight Crispy Skillet Stuffing
A half-size, one-skillet stuffing for any night: baguette cubes toasted in a hot oven, soaked in broth and egg with browned onion, celery, sage and thyme, crisped on the stove and finished in the oven with a golden crust on top and bottom.
Stovetop-Style Stuffing, Inspired by Stove Top
The boxed classic made from scratch: white and whole wheat bread cut into eraser-size crumbs and dried in the oven, then stirred into a simmering pot of broth, butter, dried onion, celery and poultry seasoning, covered and left to stand 5 minutes. Inspired by, not official.
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