Bûche de Noël (Christmas log with chestnut cream filling and ganache)

 The Bûche de Noël is a traditional dessert served at Christmas in France. As far as I can remember, my mother always made a variation of the usual chocolate/chestnut cream bûche, and it's not Christmas without it. I doubled the recipe this year, so that I could make a traditional bûche and individual ones as well. The directions below are for one single bûche. I also decided to create my own decorative mushrooms (best to start with these, you can even make them the day before!)

MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

60 grams egg whites
1 pinch of salt
60 grams caster sugar
60 grams confectioner's sugar
50 grams dark chocolate
cocoa powder

 Prepare a double boiler by placing a bowl on top of a pan filled with one inch of water. In the bowl, place the egg whites and salt and beat with electric beaters until mixture turns white and foamy. Turn the heat on underneath the pan, and continue beating while gently pouring the sugars into the egg whites. When sugar has dissolved completely and meringue turns thick and glossy white (4 or 5 minutes), remove from heated pan and continue beating to cool it off (another 4 or 5 minutes).

 

Preheat oven at 100°C/212°F. Transfer the meringue into a piping bag with a round nozzle and form the tops and stems of the mushrooms on a sheet of baking paper placed on an oven tray. Place one tablespoon of cocoa powder into a sieve and delicately tap it above the mushroom tops to sprinkle the cocoa. Place the tray in the oven and let bake for at least 1 hour (longer if you want your meringue crunchier). Remove from the oven and let cool in a dry place.

To assemble, using a sharp knife, dig a small hole underneath the mushroom tops. Melt chocolate in microwave (don't overcook it or it will taste burnt) by nuking it 20 seconds at a time.

 

 

 

Using a brush, cover the underside of a mushroom top with chocolate. Dip the tip of a mushroom stem into the melted chocolate and insert delicately into the hole underneath the mushroom top. Repeat with all the other meringue mushrooms.

CAKE
80 grams all-purpose flour
80 grams caster sugar
4 eggs (1 whole and 3 separated)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rhum (or vanilla extract)
10 grams unsalted butter (to grease parchment paper)

 In a bowl, place one whole egg and three egg yolks. Add sugar and beat with electric beaters until mixture whitens and nearly doubles in size. Add salt and flour and whisk into the mixture. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with electric beaters until soft peaks form (4 to 5 minutes).

Using a spatula, add egg whites to the mixture in 3 or 4 times, folding them delicately into the batter. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a sheet of parchment paper with butter. Pour batter on top, spreading evenly with a spatula to form a rectangle. Bake for 12-14 minutes (until cake feels spongy to the touch and surface is slightly golden). 

Remove from the oven, slide the baking paper with the cake onto a clean kitchen towel and roll together, starting with the shorter side. Set aside and let cool completely.

CHESTNUT CREAM

1 jar ( I used 350 grams) of sweetened chestnut cream (vanilla-flavored if you can find it)

1 pack PHILADELPHIA cream cheese (300 grams) or MASCARPONE

 

 In a bowl, whip cream cheese with electric beaters until creamy (1 or 2 minutes). Add chestnut cream and whip until well incorporated. Place in fridge to let it stiffen.

 

GANACHE

200 grams dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa)

250 ml liquid heavy cream (no less than 30% fat)

To make the ganache, break chocolate tablet into small pieces or squares. Place liquid cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil (be careful it doesn't go over the edge). Pour hot cream onto the chocolate, just enough to cover all the chocolate pieces. Let them melt for one minute before slowly stirring with a whisk. When all chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy, let it cool and thicken (about 30-45 minutes).

To assemble the bûche, remove cake from the kitchen towel and unroll (with the baking paper still attached). Spread chesnut cream inside, and roll back the cake, removing the baking paper as you go. Place log on a serving tray. Trim the ends of the log and use them to form a knot on top of the bûche. With a flat metal spatula, spread ganache all over the log, trying to imitate the bark of a tree with large strokes.

Place meringue mushrooms all over the top of the bûche and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar just before serving.