
No one knows for sure who concocted this technical feat. Rumor has it that Antonin Carême himself might have been behind the dish, but it is more likely that the count’s chef Monsieur Mouy was the architect. Equally curious is why Nesselrode was so deserving of the frivolous noble privilege of having a dish named after him. It could have been his official status as the Russian representative at the Congress of Vienna the same year. Or perhaps it was his unabashed appreciation of chestnuts and pudding. The former is not terribly compelling and the latter is dubious at best. Is anyone even nuts for Nesselrode anymore?
An informal poll leaves me wondering. Anyone asked who is younger than 50 has never heard of it. There is no consensus among those who were alive in the dessert’s final heyday of the mid-twentieth century. The responses range from, “I never liked Nesselrode pie,” to “I can’t remember,” to “I am sure I did.” A few profess that they just loved it and cannot remember when they last had it—probably because no pastry shops sell it with the rare exception of Christmastime upon request. But the mere mention of the name “Nesselrode” conjures some sense of pleasure and a quest for rediscovery.
Check out Arthur Schwartz’s thoughts on Nesselrode, as well as a 1988 article from The New York Times on the mystery of this now elusive dessert. Perhaps it might make a comeback…Lesley M. M. Blume, should we bring it back?