Flavours of Home is a series of recipes from around the
world cooked by people at home in Otago. This week Christiane
Leurquin, from France, makes Bûche de Noël (Christmas
log).
Christiane Leurquin was born in New Caledonia but grew up in
Paris.
She and her husband came to New Zealand 19 years ago
intending to stay for two years, but they liked it so much
they are still here.
She teaches French at Kaikorai Valley High School and Otago
University.
Bûche de Noël (yule log) is a traditional Christmas
dessert, a rich, firm roll filled with chocolate butter cream
and decorated like a yule log with marzipan mushrooms, leaves
and other decorations.
Click photo to enlarge
Joyeux Noël! Christiane Leurquin holds a yule log she has
made. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
For the biscuit:
25g unsalted butter
75g sugar
4 egg yolks
75g flour
3 egg whites
1 tsp sugar
Preheat oven to 240degC
Melt butter. Beat egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes
until pale and creamy.
Lightly stir in the flour. Clean beater and whisk egg whites
until stiff, adding a teaspoon of sugar when they are fluffy.
Add melted butter and egg whites to the first mixture and
fold in gently with a metal spoon.
Spread evenly on to an oven tray lined with baking paper and
bake for 6 to 7 minutes at 240degC.
Take out of the oven and turn upside down on to another piece
of baking paper on the bench.
Cover while you make the filling or roll up and refrigerate
for filling later.
Syrup:
135g sugar
150ml water
4 Tbsp rum
Stir sugar and water together over heat until dissolved.
Bring to boil, and allow to cook briefly. Cool and add rum or
other flavouring.
Chocolate filling and topping:
125g dark chocolate
75g unsalted butter softened but not melted
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp sugar
Melt chocolate gently over hot water. Add softened butter cut
into pieces and beat until thick and creamy.
Mix in egg yolks. Whisk egg whites until fluffy then add
sugar and continue whisking until stiff.
Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture with a metal spoon.
To put the cake together:
Brush syrup on to the biscuit to moisten. Spread some
chocolate mousse on it and roll tightly.
Wrap in the paper so it holds its shape and refrigerate for
an hour to set.
Then cover the roll with the rest of the mousse and decorate
with the rest of the chocolate mix, marzipan decorations and
Christmas figures.
Often, the end of the cake is cut off and attached to the top
or side of the roll to look like a branch.
Refrigerate until serving. Bon appetit!
Thanks to Afife Harris and Total Food Equipment.
Tips:
- This recipe is easily doubled.
- Mrs Leurquin uses Danish unsalted butter which is closest
to French butter available here, she says.
- When beating egg whites, make sure the bowl and beaters are
clean, dry and free of any traces of fat or yolk, as this
will prevent the whites from whisking stiffly.
- Adding sugar to the beaten egg whites helps stabilise the
foam.
- If you want to make the biscuit in advance, roll it up
while it is warm and store in the fridge for a day or two.
Unroll to fill.
- Make the filling the day you plan to serve the cake, or no
more than a day ahead.
- The syrup recipe makes more than you need, but it can be
used for other things.
- To decorate, either spread the chocolate filling over the
log and decorate with a fork or pipe it on.
- Make mushrooms, leaves and other decorations out of
marzipan and colour with food colouring.
- The biscuit can be filled with other fillings, such as
fruit, jam, chestnut purée (available canned), or nutella. It
is firmer than a swiss sponge roll mix.
