Nuts, Seeds & Pastes
Chestnut Cream 20% in gelato
Chestnut cream (crème de marrons / crema di marroni) is a sweetened chestnut spread: a smooth purée of cooked chestnuts and sugar, typically vanilla-scented. In gelato it works as a combined flavor-and-sugar paste, delivering deep marron flavor plus starch-driven body while contributing almost no fat.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 60% |
| Water | 40% |
| Sugars | 45% |
| Fat | 1% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0.7% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 45 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 45 |
Typical use: 15-30% of the mix (commonly around 20%)
Balance chestnut cream 20% in a real recipe
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Treat chestnut cream primarily as a sugar and flavor source, not a fat source: at ~45% sugar it adds significant sweetness and freezing-point depression, so reduce the added sucrose in the recipe to keep total sugars and PAC in target. Because its sugar is essentially sucrose (POD ~100, PAC ~100), it neither over-softens nor over-hardens the scoop relative to sucrose. The ~13% chestnut starch and fiber add welcome body and a slightly dry, mealy structure that helps offset iciness, while fat stays near zero, so pair it with cream or a fatty base for richness. Add it to the base before churning; it blends smoothly and needs no separate hydration.
Origin & background
Sweetened chestnut purée was industrialized by Clément Faugier, who began producing crème de marrons in Privas, in France's Ardèche region, in 1885 as a way to use marrons glacés that broke during candying. It remains the classic base for the Mont Blanc dessert and for chestnut gelato throughout France and northern Italy.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://eatthismuch.com/food/nutrition/creme-de-marrons-chestnut-cream,643358
- https://pariani.org/en/inventario/ingredients/pasta-di-frutta-candita/crema-di-marrone/
- https://angelinaparisusa.com/products/chestnut-cream-in-tube
- https://world.openfoodfacts.org/product/80547129/crema-di-marroni
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-009-0147-7