A Million Years Later…
At last, I’ve finally committed the recipe to paper! It only took a million years, but at last, here it is, if you dare…
For the Genoise:
16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 oz.) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened (99%) quality chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons sweet sorghum flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons tapioca flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons guar gum
8 large eggs
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Preheat your oven to 350° F after you have liberally buttered and lined a half sheet jelly roll pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Sift together all the dry ingredients into a small bowl and keep it close by. Place the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and gently heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add your finely chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Now pour the butter/chocolate mixture over your dry ingredients; whisk until smooth and set aside.
In a stand up mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs and the granulated sugar until it is thick and mousse-like in texture and the color of the earliest morning; a pale sulpher sunrise swelling in your bowl, about 5 minutes.
Once your eggs couldn’t get any happier, fold your butter mixture into the eggs with a rubber spatula until you can no longer see the egg whites. Immediately pour the batter into your prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. The cake should feel like a delicate sponge when touched with your finger. Allow to cool completely in the pan before proceeding.
While waiting for your genoise to cool, make your mint chocolate mousse:
3 oz. semi-sweet (62%) high quality chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons whole milk
½ c. heavy cream
1 egg yolk
2 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract
1 egg white
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Place the finely chopped chocolate and the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat on low until the chocolate is melted. Whisk vigorously and remove from the heat; allow to cool for several minutes before you whisk in the egg yolk and peppermint extract.
Whip the heavy cream until it holds lazy soft peaks. Fold into the melted chocolate.
Whip the egg white with the granulated sugar for a couple of minutes. The egg whites should look shinny and firm.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture just enough to incorporate.
Your mousse is now ready for use.
When your genoise is completely cool, lift the cake out of the pan by grasping the parchment paper. Using an off-set spatula, spread all of your chocolate mousse over the top of the cake.
Using the parchment paper, lift the longest edge of the cake and begin to roll it in on itself. Keep going until the cake is a tightly rolled cylinder. To help the cake maintain it’s shape, wrap three rubber bands around the cake with one in the middle and one at either end. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to a couple of days before use.
To make your mushrooms:
(dries out beautifully; cookies, cake layers, decorative elements)
*Can be made days ahead of time if your meringues are kept in an airtight container.
1 cup egg whites (4-5 egg whites)
2 cups granulated sugar
several drops fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 215ºF and line a cookie sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
Whip your egg whites on high speed until they loose their transparency. Slowly add the sugar in a steady stream and then add the lemon juice. Continue to mix on high until the egg whites look shinny and firm.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1” plain tip with your whipped egg whites and begin to pipe out your mushroom caps. I like to make various sizes so the presentation is more appealing. For the mushroom stems, you simply pipe a vertical columns of egg whites; you will assemble the mushrooms after they have been fully cooked.
Repeat until all of your egg whites have been used and then bake at 215ºF for a couple of hours to dry the meringue out completely.
Allow your little mushrooms to cool completely on the cookie sheet before you begin your assembly.
(Looks dreamy; extremely malleable. Perfect for layered cakes and pies.)
*must be made the same day of use
1 cup egg whites (about 4-5 depending on your egg size)
½ cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pour all your egg whites into your stand-up mixing bowl with the whisk attachment so they are ready when the sugar comes to temperature.
In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, heat your corn syrup, granulated sugar and water until it reaches 230ºF. This will take a few minutes.
When your simple syrup registers 230ºF, begin whipping your egg whites on high and continue to heat the sugar until it reads 240ºF (soft ball stage) on your candy thermometer. Immediately begin pouring the boiling sugar into your egg whites, mixing on medium speed first to prevent sugar splatter and then on high. Whip egg whites until they are completely cool. Add the vanilla and mix just until incorporated. Your icing is now ready for use.
Remove the rolled cake from the fridge and remove the rubber bands and parchment paper. Cut both ends on the bias so the cake looks like a freshly trimmed log. Transfer the cake to your serving platter of choice. Take the cut ends and place them on top, flat side down, with a generous scoop of icing to glue it in place. These are to resemble the knots or protrusions where branches once lived. Take the icing and carefully cover your Yule log, leaving the ends exposed. Be sure to leave at least ½ cup of icing for assembling the mushrooms.
Carefully and strategically place 5 dollops of the icing about your serving platter.
Now go back to your little French meringues and begin constructing your mushrooms in the following way:
1. Using a chopstick with a refined point, very gently bore a hole in the bottom of one of the mushroom caps, being extremely careful not to pierce the top of the meringue. Moving in a tight circular motion works the best. Continue until the hole is no larger than 1/8”.
2. Take a mushroom stem, gingerly dip it in the reserved icing, and then join it to the mushroom cap, aiming directly for the prepared hole.
3. Repeat process until all of your meringues have been united.
You may and you may not use all of your fully assembled mushrooms; it depends on your aesthetic ideal.
*Because marzipan has a 70% sugar content, it tends to dry out easily, so keep it wrapped in an airtight container or hermetically sealed jar. Can be stored for months in this manner, so make ahead of time to save yourself some labor later.
1 recipe almond paste:
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 1/4 cup almond meal
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
+
½ cup light corn syrup
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
green and red liquid food coloring
Heat the water, corn syrup and the granulated sugar in a small pan to make your simple syrup. Heat until it comes to a boil and then immediately remove from the heat.
Pour the powdered sugar and almond meal into a food processor and pulse to mix. Measure out 1/3 cup of your simple syrup and then pour into the food processor. Pulse to mix; you should have a thick ball. Your almond paste is now ready.
Leaving the almond paste in the food processor, add the additional corn syrup and confectioner’s sugar. Pulse until combined. Now, dust your impeccably clean counter top with confectioner’s sugar and knead your marzipan until smooth.
Cut off a small portion of your marzipan and add a few drops of green food coloring. Knead until the dye has been evenly distributed. If the marzipan is too sticky, keep on adding more confectioner’s sugar to your work surface. If your marzipan is too dry, add a few drops of water and knead until your desired consistency is achieved. Repeat the same process with the red food coloring.
To make your holly leaves, roll out the green colored marzipan to 1/8” and either cut the leaves free hand or use a cookie cutter.
Take the red marzipan and roll 12 small balls; these will be your berries.
Place your completed decoration on a piece of parchment paper or just arrange them immediately on your serving platter, on and around your Yule Log.
Dust your Buche de Noel with confectioner’s sugar for a fresh coating of snow before serving.
Serves 12.
