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recipes

Ferme le buche de noel

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“Terror” is probably too strong a word to describe what I felt the first time I read through December’s Daring Bakers challenge. Considering that the recipe was 18 pages long when I first opened it, though, it wouldn’t be all that much of an exaggeration.

A closer examination of the recipe revealed that a good bit of those 18 pages were different options French Yule Log that we’d be making. Even after editing the document down to just the options I wanted to use, it was a pretty overwhelming recipe.

The French Yule Log has six separate layers, and I chose to make them over the course of a week because I didn’t have a full day to dedicate to the project. After eating it, I think it would’ve worked better if I’d just taken the time to do it all over two days, at most. It was delicious and ridiculously rich, but I haven’t decided yet if I’ll ever try it again.

The following recipe is basically for the construction of the yule log. As I read it over for this post, I realized that I didn’t do it exactly as I was supposed. All that stuff about piping and freezing and piping something else and freezing and then freezing it overnight? Not so much. Which may explain why some layers — such as the creme brulee, which I made days in advance — were frozen solid while others were simply a bit chilly.

FRENCH YULE LOG
This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.
Cream brulee insert
Praline feuillete
Dark chocolate mousse
Dark chocolate ganache
Dacquoise biscuit
Dark chocolate icing
Line your mold or pan clear hard plastic (the original recipe suggested transparencies or plastic wrap, but I was using a silicon pan and didn’t line it at all). Cut the dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there.

Pipe a third of the mousse on the dacquoise and set the creme brulee insert on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.

Pipe another third of the Mousse component around and on top of the creme brulee insert.

Cut the praline feuillete to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.

Pipe the last third of the mousse component on top of the praline insert.

Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer and pipe the ganache onto the frozen mousse, leaving a slight edge so the ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the dacquoise on top.

Close with the last strip of dacquoise and freeze until the next day.

The next day, unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan. Cover the cake with the icing. Let set. Return to the freezer.

On serving day, transfer to the refrigerator no longer than half an hour before serving as your yule log may start to melt quickly.

Now I’m going to break this down into the individual components, which means this post is about to get really, really lengthy.

The first component I made was the Vanilla Creme Brulee Insert. My first attempt was a big ol’ fail, because the baking mold I used was so wide that the brulee was about a quarter inch thick. It looked like scrambled eggs. Sweet, delicious scrambled eggs. The second attempt worked beautifully, though, once I found a smaller dish to let it set up in.

Vanilla Creme Brulee Insert
1/2 cup heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup whole milk
4 medium-sized egg yolks
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.

Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).

Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.

Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.

Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

Next I made the Praline Feuillete, which called for praline paste. This is apparently something you can make by smashing hazelnuts into a paste, but I decided to use Nutella instead. The result was like a very thin Nestle Crunch bar, and it was just this side of magical.

Praline Feuillete
3.5 oz milk chocolate
feuillete
1 2/3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Nutella
2.1oz corn flakes, crushed

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Add the Nutella and the coarsely crushed corn flakes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

The Dark Chocolate Mousse gave me some trouble. As we’ll discuss again later, I’m not so skilled with the gelatin. My mousse ended up with odd little gelatin lumps. But it still tasted OK.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
2+1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp thick corn syrup
0.5 oz water
3 medium egg yolks
6.2 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups heavy cream (35% fat content)

Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)

Make a Pate a Bombe:

  • Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
  • Cook the sugar, corn syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F.
  • Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.
  • Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.

    In a double boiler, heat 2 tablespoons of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

    Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup of cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe. Whip the cream, and gently mix it in with a spatula.

    • I’ve made ganache before, but I hadn’t used any sort of caramelization in the process. This was smooth, rich and wonderful.

    Dark Chocolate Ganache
    4 Tbsp granulated sugar
    2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp heavy cream
    5 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
    3Tbsp + 1/2tsp unsalted butter softened

    Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color.

    While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.

    Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.

    Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

    The Dacquoise Biscuit was sort of a thin, almond-flavored cake. It was really tasty, and I’m trying to think of something else I could do with it. I couldn’t find almond meal, so I just tossed some slivered almonds into the Magic Bullet and made it myself.

    Dacquoise Biscuit
    3/4cup + 1Tbsp almond meal
    1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
    2Tbsp all-purpose flour
    3 medium egg whites
    4 Tbsp granulated sugar

    Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner’s sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).

    Sift the flour into the mix.

    Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.

    Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.

    Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc…) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).

    Bake at 350°F for approximately 15 minutes, until golden. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

    Finally, there’s the Dark Chocolate Icing. I waited for what I thought was a crazy long time for it to “gellify,” and it never did. So I just poured it over the assembled log. It proceeded to pool around the log on the platter. I set the whole thing aside until serving time. When I discovered that the pools had set into shiny and beautiful icing. Oh well.

    Dark Chocolate Icing
    ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin
    ¼ cup heavy cream (35 % fat content)
    5 Tbsp granulated sugar
    ¼ cup water
    1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling. Add to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.

    Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

    Again, this was a work-intensive project. The end result was tasty, and other Daring Bakers have proven that it can be an impressive-looking dessert, too. I might try it again next year. If I’ve recovered from the icing trauma by then.

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    One sweet challenge

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    This month’s Daring Baker Challenge was Shuna Fish Lydon’s Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. It was a little time-consuming, but the only really challenging part of the recipe was making the caramel syrup. I have a bad track record with candy, but this time it worked out really well. But we’ll get to that later.

    The cake itself was a little dense, and it didn’t have as much caramel flavor as I’d expected or hoped. The frosting, though, was delectable. I’ll definitely make it again. (And again and again, most likely.) And the caramel syrup I mentioned earlier? Delicious. I have a bunch of it left. I’m not sure what to do with it. Other than eat it with a spoon.

    Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting
    from Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites
    10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
    1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/3 cup caramel syrup (see recipe below)
    2 each eggs, at room temperature
    Splash vanilla extract
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1 cup milk, at room temperature

    Preheat oven to 350F

    Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy.

    Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.

    Sift flour and baking powder.

    Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

    Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan.

    Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it.

    Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

    Caramel Syrup
    2 cups sugar
    1/2 cup water
    1 cup water (for “stopping” the caramelization process)

    In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber.

    When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back.

    Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. (Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.)

    Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

    Caramelized Butter Frosting
    12 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted
    4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup
    Kosher or sea salt to taste

    Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool.

    Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl.

    In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner’s sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

    Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

    Many thanks to this month’s Daring Baker’s Challenge hosts Dolores at Culinary Curiosity, Rockford of Blondie and Brownie and Jenny of Foray into Food!

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    A Daring new adventure

    A few months ago, I noticed that several of the cooking blogs that I read were featuring eclairs. This interested me for a few reasons:

    1. Eclairs are delicious.
    2. They were all linking to something called The Daring Bakers.

    After a little bit of investigating, I discovered that the Daring Bakers is a (pretty huge) group of people who take on a baking challenge every month and then, on the designated day, post the results on their blogs. In other words, it was right up my alley.

    I joined the group, and I’ve made this month’s challenge three times already. It’s Peter Reinhart’s recipe for pizza dough, and it’s fantastic. I used my KitchenAid mixer to do the kneading, which makes it really easy, too. The original recipe says it’ll make 6 pizzas, but they’d be tiny little things. I’ve been getting four balls of dough out of the recipe, with one pizza and a big salad being enough to feed the four of us. Keep in mind, however, that the smallest among us eat a grand total of one slice.

    In accordance with Daring Baker rules, I followed the recipe as it was written the first time I made it. The following recipe, however, reflects how I’ve made it since that first effort. The main difference is the addition of whole-wheat flour. Reinhart’s original recipe can be found in his book “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.”

    Basic Pizza Dough
    3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled
    1 cup whole-wheat flour, chilled
    1 3/4 tsp salt
    1 teaspoon instant yeast
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1 3/4 cups water, ice cold
    1 tablespoon sugar
    cornmeal, for dusting

    DAY ONE Yes, it’s a two-day process. But all the work is done on Day One.
    Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well with the paddle attachment on low speed in order to form a sticky ball of dough.

    Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.

    The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

    Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

    With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

    Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry, and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

    Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

    Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

    NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil (a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.

    DAY TWO
    On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

    At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible. (My oven goes to 500 degrees; it worked nicely.)

    Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan (I used a flat baking sheet) with cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

    During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
    In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.

    You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

    When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

    Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

    NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

    Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.

    NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.

    If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

    Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

    Did you notice the tossing instructions in there? That was the main part of October’s Daring Bakers challenge. I did toss the pizza dough the first time I made it. It was amusing, but I won’t call it successful. For my subsequent efforts, I picked the dough up and sort of let it thin itself out without trying to send it airborne.

    We’ve tried a few different topping options with this dough, but my favorite by far has been Thai Chicken Pizza. I found the following copycat recipe of the California Pizza Kitchen pizza at Recipe Zaar. The recipe makes enough sauce for two pizzas even after I used some of it to marinate the chicken.

    I know there are more than a few of you out there who would make excellent Daring Bakers. I hope you’ll sign up. And if you do, let me know!