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Marrons, Mrs. Ludlow

Slit on one side forty-eight large, sound Italian chestnuts, place on a tin and set in oven for ten minutes. Remove from oven, shell, plunge in boiling water for five minutes, drain, skin, and place in a small saucepan with a vanilla bean. Pour in cold milk one inch higher then chestnuts, cover pan and let boil until they easily break, when the milk should be nearly dried up. Take up vanilla bean, wipe and put it back in the sugar. Place chestnuts in mortar, thoroughly pound to a pulp, then rub through sieve into a vessel, add a half ounce best fresh butter, two tablespoons powdered sugar, two tablespoons Jamaica rum, and sharply mix with wooden spoon for two minutes. Pour two gills thick cream in a copper basin, place it on ice and whisk to a froth. Add two tablespoons powdered sugar, six drops vanilla essence, beat up two minutes more, add cream to chestnuts and lightly mix with a spoon. Evenly divide cream in six paper cases, nicely smooth surface with a knife blade to dome shape, arrange a piece candied marron on top of each case, dress on a dish with folded napkin and serve.