Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (210 C). Using a sharp paring knife, make an X-shaped cut on the round side of each chestnut, to keep them from exploding, and arrange them on either a baking rack or a baking sheet. Transfer the chestnuts to the oven and roast them until the skins have pulled back from the cuts and the nutmeats have softened (exactly how long will depend on the chestnuts, but at least 15 to 20 minutes). Remove the nuts from the oven, make a mound of them in an old towel, wrap them up, squeeze them hard -- they should crackle -- and let them sit for a few minutes. Then peel the chestnuts and eat!

Cutting the Chestnuts - Roasting Chestnuts on the Grill

Chestnuts have always been one of the most popular holiday treats. However, today few people seem to know how to prepare them. What you need is a high, intense heat to cook the chestnuts to make them sweet and wonderful. Chances are you have the perfect piece of cooking equipment sitting on your patio. Your grill, whether gas or charcoal, will provide the kind of heat needed to cook chestnuts. You may have heard of chestnuts popping on an open fire. Actually, you don't want them popping too much. To keep them from literally exploding, cut a little X in the shell of the chestnut to let out the steam as they cook. This is easily done by pushing the point of a paring knife through the shell. Make sure to inspect the chestnuts and throw out any that are cracked, moldy or rattle. If the meat inside is dried out the chestnuts will rattle with a hard sound like a marble inside. These are no good.

Washing Chestnuts - Roasting Chestnuts on the Grill

Before the chestnuts hit the grill give them a good rinse. This will help soften the shells for later on and reduce the charring on the surface as they roast. It also washes off any remaining dirt and dust on the chestnuts.

Grilling Chestnuts - Roasting Chestnuts on the Grill

Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F. If the chestnuts can fall through the cooking grate, place them in a grill topper (i.e. Grill Wok) or in a pie tin with holes punched in the bottom. Otherwise, place the chestnuts directly on the cooking grate. The cooking time is roughly 15 minutes but watch them carefully to prevent burning. Chestnuts should be turned or tossed around on the grill every 5 minutes so that they cook evenly and the shells do not burn excessively. This process works the same on both gas and charcoal grills. Just watch the temperature to keep it as close to 400 degrees F as possible.

When the Chestnuts are Done - Roasting Chestnuts on the Grill

After about 15 minutes, the chestnuts should be cooked. Remember that underdone chestnuts taste bitter, but properly cooked they have a slightly sweet, buttery flavor. The chestnuts are done when the shells have a little charring on the surface and the X you made in the first step is opened up and you can start to see the meat of the chestnut inside. When done, removed the chestnuts from the grill and allow to cool to the point where you can handle them comfortably.

Once the chestnuts have cooled down sufficiently, it is time to get them out of their shells. Don't let them cool down too much. Chestnuts are best served warm. The shells of the chestnuts should be hard and easily broken. Crack open the shells and pull out the meat. These are delicious straight from the shell or perfect in any number of dishes, including stuffings and soups.

Preheat an oven to 400F. While the oven heats, cut the "x's" in the chestnut shells. Set the prepared chestnuts in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet, and cook them until the shells pull apart and the nuts are tender, about 30 minutes.

Bring an inch or so of water in a large saucepan, set the prepared (shells cut) chestnuts in a steamer basket, and put the steamer basket over the boiling water. Cover the pot and steam the chestnuts until the shells pull apart and the nuts inside are tender to the bite (or to a toothpick stuck in their centers), about 20 minutes.

However you've cooked them, you'll proceed the same way now. Wrap the roasted or steamed chestnuts in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm—it will make the easier to peel. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, grab a seat and get to peeling.

Pull and snap off the shells, being sure to also take off the skin between the shell and the chestnut.

When you're done, you want a pile of yellowish-white chestnuts (and another of the dark shells and papery skins).

It's a fine line between the chestnuts being too hot to handle long enough to peel them, and cooling off so much that the skins seem to shrink onto the nuts again. That's why wrapping them in a towel is key. If they cool off too much, that is, if you find that they become trickier to peel as you go, you can pop them back in the oven or the steamer for a few minutes to re-warm them. You can also microwave them for a minute or two for a similar effect, but I find microwaved chestnuts tend to lose some of their tender texture and harden unpleasantly.

My favorite way to eat them is simply as I peel them! It's a fun group activity to sit and peel chestnuts after dinner, treating them as a casual dessert.

Chestnuts are also delicious chopped up and added to stuffing or dressing, made into candy or otherwise used in desserts, or whirled into a rich soup.

Here is an easy recipe for homemade candied chestnuts that calls for marroni, which are the larger, higher-quality chestnuts that are easier to peel. They are generally more expensive than smaller chestnuts (those that Italians call castagne), but they are less labor-intensive, and far more visually impressive.

This way of candying chestnuts, by boiling them in a sugar syrup, originated in southern France and northern Italy around the 15th or 16th century. They are a common treat during Christmas time and the New Year. The first known recipe for them dates to Louis XIV's court at Versailles and the great chef La Varenne.

This recipe makes about 6 servings. They make a wonderful Christmas gift or hostess present.