The Coupe Nesselrode—vanilla ice cream, Vermicelles (chestnut spaghetti), meringue and whipped cream—is an exquisite autumn sundae, and the perfect complement to a Wildteller.

Like other similar Coupes (Melba, Romanoff), the Nesselrode comes with a historic, rather than descriptive moniker.

Nesselrode, what’s in a name?

In culinary terms, Nesselrode denotes a dish featuring chestnuts (other examples include the Nesselrode Pie and Nesselrode Pudding).

It’s named for Karl Robert Reichsgraf von Nesselrode-Ehreshoven a famous German/Russian diplomat and chestnut lover, though it would have been his chef Jean Mouy who actually came up with the dishes.

Nesselrode, who was born in 1780 into a noble German family, spent much of his life in service to the Russian court as diplomat and ambassador. He attended the Congress of Vienna (where Europe decided their fate after the defeat of Napoleon I), and promoted the Holy Alliance (an occasionally successful treaty uniting Russia, Austria and Prussia, which worked to advance monarchistic ideals. It was the brainchild of Alexander I of Russia (grandson of Catherine the Great) and—I invite you to fall into a Wikipedia hole with her—his mystic adviser Barbara von Krüdener. Here’s my favourite part directly from the Wikipedia article:

She remained in Switzerland, where she presently fell under the influence of an unscrupulous adventurer named J. G. Kellner… She wandered with Kellner from place to place, proclaiming her mission, working miracles, persuading her converts to sell all and follow her.

Crowds of beggars and rapscallions of every description gathered wherever she went, supported by the charities squandered from the common fund. She became a nuisance to the authorities and a menace to the peace; Württemberg had expelled her, and the example was followed by every Swiss canton she entered in turn.

(The Wikipedia sinkhole also led me to discover that there were two female painters among the 34 founders of the Royal Academy in 1768, Mary Moser (whose father was Swiss) and Angelika Kaufmann (who was Swiss, born in Chur).)

Now, back to the topic at hand.

Chestnuts.

Cursory google searches did not provide quite enough information on Nesselrode’s affection for the chestnut, and one can only assume that he enjoyed them enthusiastically in order to become synonymous with them (at least in Switzerland).

This recipe is much less a recipe than it is assembly notes. You can make this dish with completely store-bought elements, or you can make everything yourself, right down to the vanilla ice cream.

Here are links to my recipes for homemade Vermicelles and meringues. Store bought ice cream is fine, but if you’re feeling ambitious, a great ice cream recipe can be found in my post on Coupe Dänemark, here.

vanilla ice cream

meringue

chestnut puree

whipped cream and seasonal fruit to garnish

Scoop some ice cream into a dish.

Break up the meringue and sprinkle the pieces over top.

Using a Vermicelles press, add the chestnut puree and squeeze it around the ice cream.

Top with whipped cream and seasonal fruit.

• You can get a Vermicelles press online or at the Migros or Coop.

• I have seen many different garnishes for Coupe Nesselrode, but typically a grape or bright red maraschino cherry is used. Figs are also used, as is a single marron glacé, candied chestnut.