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Buche de Noel (French Christmas Cake)

Quintessentially French and festive, a Buche de Noel is the bakers’ holy grail of Christmas creations.   For me, it once seemed unattainable.  Not any more.  With the right pan, a pastry brush, an attractive rectangular plate to serve it in, and the wisdom to bake, wrap, and refrigerate (or freeze) the unfrosted cake up to two days in advance, I am now on a buche de noel roll (pun intended), creating variations on a theme to bring to friends and family leading up to the holiday season.  All credit goes to David Lebovitz’ My Paris Kitchen and a 12″x 18″ jelly roll pan (which I bought a few years ago when experimenting with Collette’s Birthday Cakes by Collette Peters) and a boars’ bristle pastry brush from William Sonoma received as a Christmas gift last year.  But mostly, credit goes to David Lebovitz and his photographer Ed Anderson.  Their description, instructions and illustrations made the project approachable and a wonderful excuse to begin the holiday baking season!

Buche de Noel (Christmas Yule Log)
This recipe substitutes 1/3 c. of the cake flour with dutch process cocoa powder; substitutes David Leibovitz' original ricotta filling with a lighter version of Francois Payard's green tea pastry cream; and lightens the sugar load in every component. The green tea in the pastry cream and the serotonin in the dark chocolate can only contribute to the good will of the holidays. If you are pressed for time, garnish with crushed pistachios and strained pomegranate seeds and sift confectioners' sugar on top. If you opt for the meringue mushrooms, make them a day ahead. (They take 1-1/2 hours to bake and another hour to cool down.) Store them in an air-tight container and add them as garnish at the last minute to maintain crispness. See Notes below for additional garnish ideas or Google "Buche de Noel" followed by the year for more extravagant inspiration from France's best patisseries.
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Ingredients
  1. GENOISE
  2. ========
  3. 4 large eggs, room temperature
  4. 1/2 c. sugar (reduced from 2/3 c.)
  5. Pinch of sea salt
  6. 1 tsp. vanilla
  7. 2/3 c. cake flour
  8. 1/3 c. dutch process cocoa powder
  9. 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
  10. Powdered sugar (for rolling the cake into shape)
  11. GREEN TEA PASTRY CREAM
  12. ========================
  13. 2 c. milk (whole or 2%)
  14. 2 tsp. powdered green tea
  15. 1/3 c. sugar
  16. 5 tbsp. cornstarch
  17. 6 large egg yolks
  18. 4 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
  19. 1 c. heavy cream (optional)
  20. CHOCOLATE ICING
  21. ================
  22. 5 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  23. 1/4 c. coffee or water
  24. 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
  25. MERINGUE MUSHROOMS
  26. =====================
  27. 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
  28. Pinch of sea salt
  29. 1/3 c. granulated sugar (original amount)
  30. Generous pinch of cinnamon
  31. Powdered sugar to sift over finished cake
  32. 1-1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Make an X with butter or shortening on a 12" x 18" jelly roll pan and line the pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and sides.
  3. GENOISE: Sift the flour and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
  4. Separately, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and salt on high speed until they hold a thick ribbon when you lift the whip, about 5 minutes. Whip in the vanilla.
  5. Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift 1/3 of the flour/cocoa mixture over the egg mixture and fold in. Repeat with the remaining two thirds of the flour/cocoa. Drizzle the melted, room-temperature butter and fold in. Overall, do not over-fold. Just enough to incorporate at each step.
  6. Scrape the batter into the jelly roll pan and spread into an even layer. It will be a thin layer. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and the center springs back lightly to the touch. Don't let it get too dry or it will crack (a lot) when you roll it. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes.
  7. Lay a kitchen towel on the counter top. Lightly sift some powdered sugar over the towel. Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan. Place the floured side of the towel onto the cake pan, hold firmly in place and overturn the cake pan onto the counter. Lift the pan away, then lift off the parchment paper. Starting on a long side, roll the cake up in the towel and allow to cool 1 hour.
  8. GREEN TEA PASTRY CREAM: Line a shallow 9"x9" pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.
  9. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the milk until bubbles form at the edge and it is just short of boiling. Whisk in the green tea powder. Remove from heat and set aside.
  10. In a mixer bowl, sift the sugar and cornstarch together, add the egg yolks and beat until the yolks turn very pale yellow.
  11. Temper the egg yolks by placing a ladle-ful in a small cup or dish, and whisking in some of the hot milk in a slow steady stream. Whisk the tempered yolk mixture into the rest of the yolk mixture, then whisk in the rest of the milk mixture in a slow steady stream to keep the mixture from curdling.
  12. Once the milk is well incorporated, pass the mixture through a sieve into a clean saucepan and heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking gently, constantly, until it becomes very thick, coating the back of a wooden spoon. You can allow bubbles to pop in the center of the pan for up to 20 seconds to activate the cornstarch.
  13. Remove from heat.
  14. Add the butter, whisking constantly until incorporated.
  15. Pour the pastry cream through a sieve into the prepared pan and cover it with plastic wrap, directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate, at least 1 hour, or up to one day ahead.
  16. When ready to fill the Buche de Noel, whisk the heavy cream at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Remove the green tea mixture from the refrigerator, whisk it to a creamy texture, and fold into the whipped heavy cream with a spatula.
  17. FILL & ROLL THE CAKE: Unroll the cake and spread the filling over the cake, leaving a 1-inch edge on each long side. As you roll the cake back up, support it carefully to support the added weight of the cream. Once completely rolled, wrap in plastic wrap - tightly enough that it holds its shape but not so tight that the cake is crushed. Place in the refrigerator to chill 1 hour (or freeze up to 2 days in advance.)
  18. MERINGUE: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a stand mixer with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites with the salt on high speed until they form soft peaks. Continue whipping, adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time, unti lthe meringue is very stiff and glossy. Whip in the cinnamon.
  19. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (or scrape it into a resealable plastic bag and snip a small hole in one corner). Pipe 22 round mushroom caps in 1-inch mounds. Pipe the 22 stems by making a base that is slightly thicker, tapering up to a tip as you pull straight up about 1 inch. Smooth the tops of the caps with a finger dipped in water. Bake the meringues for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven & allow to cool completely.
  20. To assemble the mushrooms, use a small pointy knife to carve a small hole in the bottom center of the mushroom caps, large enough to fit the pointy end of the stems.
  21. Melt a little chocolate and use it as glue to affix the mushroom stems to the bottom of the caps. Set on a rack to cool, then transfer to an airtight container until ready to use. (Mushrooms can be made up to 1 week in advance in an airtight container at room temperature.)
  22. ICING: In a double boiler, with the water already simmering, melt the chocolate with the coffee, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in the butter. Once smooth, let the icing sit until it's thick enough to spread. (Refrigerating it for about 30 minutes will help it thicken. When ready, stir again with a small whisk.)
  23. ASSEMBLY: Unroll and unwrap the cake. Cut to fit the serving platter. With the extra cake, cut a 2-inch slice to resemble a broken branch on top and set aside. Use the rest for additional branches on the side if your platter has room. If not, freeze the rest for future use.
  24. Frost the main part of the cake on the platter. (An offset spatula helps.) Then drag the short end of the spatula lightly along the length of the cake to resemble bark. (You can also use the tines of a fork.) If you like, arrange a "broken branch" at one end of the cake. Frost it and recreate the same bark look on the sides. On the cut side (facing up), create a smooth base.
  25. DECORATING: Use the meringue mushrooms to decorate the cake and platter and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar to resemble newly fallen snow.
Notes
  1. ALTERNATIVE FILLINGS
  2. ====================
  3. - ice cream
  4. - whipped cream
  5. - marzipan
  6. - chocolate ganache
  7. ALTERNATIVE DECORATIONS
  8. =========================
  9. - chopped pistachios
  10. - shaved chocolate
  11. - an angel (or tree) shortbread cookie with Noel in pistachios
  12. - marzipan ornaments
  13. - macaroons
Adapted from David Lebovitz' "My French Kitchen" & Francois Payard's "Chocolate Epiphany"
Adapted from David Lebovitz' "My French Kitchen" & Francois Payard's "Chocolate Epiphany"
Sea Sky & Table https://seaskyandtable.com/

Pear Bardaloue

6655_2013-01-06_Pear Tart (Bardaloue)_Blog2_Blog, Featured

 

My Dad loved pears.  I had made this tart for him a few years ago and had purchased the ingredients to make it for him again over the winter break of 2012. He passed away that Thanksgiving weekend. Over the holidays, I made it in his honor and invited the local branch of our family to share it. They loved it, and I know Dad would have, too.  Adapted from Larousse on Pastry.

Pear Bardaloue
Easier than you might think and absolutely gorgeous. This fragrant dessert is redolent of pears, almonds, autumn, and good friends.
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Ingredients
  1. TART SHELL
  2. ==========
  3. 7 tbsp. butter
  4. 1-1/4 c. sifted flour
  5. A pinch of salt
  6. 2 tbsp.. sugar
  7. 5 tbsp. ice cold water
  8. ALMOND CREAM
  9. ==============
  10. 1/4 c. butter
  11. 1 small egg
  12. 5 tbsp. sugar
  13. 7/8 c. ground almonds
  14. PEARS
  15. ======
  16. 10 to 12 canned pear halves (about 4 cans)
Instructions
  1. PREPARE THE CRUST: Cut the butter into very small pieces. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the salt, the sugar, and the butter. Quickly rub in the ingredients with your fingertips. Add some water to form a dough. Knead until supple. (It should be neither too sticky, nor too soft.) Dust your work surface with flour, lay the dough on it and flatten it with the heel of your hand. (Do not knead at this stage.) Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  2. WHILE THE DOUGH IS RESTING: Cut the butter for the almond cream into pieces and allow to soften at room temperature.
  3. Drain the pears and cut lengthwise into thin slices.
  4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  5. PREPARE THE ALMOND CREAM: Break the egg into a bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat by hand until you obtain a smooth cream. Beat in the ground almonds.
  6. Roll out the dough and place in a 9-inch tart shell Pour in the almond cream. Arrange the pear slices on top.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool slightly before turning out.
  9. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
  1. This pastry crust is best when created by hand (not in a food processor). If you are pressed for time or just don't want to work the dough with your hands, try the Pate Brisee recipe elsewhere on this site.
  2. If the tart has cooked for 30 minutes and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean - but the almond cream filling is not golden brown - try sprinkling a little sugar on the cream (not the pears) and using a crème brullee torch - very lightly and briefly - to brown the top.
Adapted from Larousse on Pastry
Adapted from Larousse on Pastry
Sea Sky & Table https://seaskyandtable.com/