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Bche de Nol with Meringue Mushrooms
In France, the bche de Nol, or Yule log, is the traditional Christmas dessert. Shaped to resemble a log for the fireplace,
the bche is fancifully adorned with various holiday decorations including meringue mushrooms.
Serves 12
Ingredients
For the chocolate biscuit:
- 11oz Egg whites, room temperature
- 11oz Sugar
- 6oz Egg yolks
- 3oz Cocoa powder
For the chocolate and praline buttercreams:
- 10.5oz Sugar
- 3.5oz Water
- 4 Eggs
- 17.5oz Unsalted butter, soft
- 2.5oz Bitter chocolate, melted
- 2oz Praline paste
For decoration:
- Cocoa powder
- Meringue mushrooms
Preparation
For the chocolate biscuit:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 26" x 18"* sheet tray with parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on slow speed until the whites are foamy. Increase the speed and whisk until soft peaks are formed. Add 1/3 of the sugar and beat until completely incorporated. Repeat this step twice until all the sugar has been added and the whites hold stiff peaks. Fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks. Gently fold in the chocolate.
Pour the batter onto the lined sheet tray and gently spread evenly with a spatula. Bake in the oven for approximately 7-8 minutes, or until the biscuit is springy to the touch and shrinks away slightly from the sides of the tray. Remove from the oven and let cool.
For the chocolate and praline buttercreams:
Combine the sugar and water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on slow speed. Cook the sugar to the soft ball stage and, with the mixer running on slow speed, add to the eggs, pouring down the side of the bowl and not over the whisk. Once all of the sugar is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high. Whisk until the eggs triple in volume and are cool to the touch. Change the whisk to the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed. Add the butter slowly, waiting to add more butter until the piece before is incorporated. Separate the buttercream into two bowls and mix the melted chocolate into one and the praline paste into the other. Reserve at room temperature.
To assemble the bche:
Place the chocolate biscuit on a flat surface, parchment paper side down. Trim up to an inch off of the four sides and discard the trimmings. Spread the biscuit evenly with the chocolate buttercream. Roll the biscuit tightly, starting with one of the short ends and unwrapping the paper in the process. Use the paper to rewrap the rolled log, twisting the ends tightly to secure them. Freeze for 1 hour.
Unwrap the log and slice a small triangular piece from each end. Stick the ends together with buttercream and stick to the top of the log to form a branch. Spread the entire log with the praline buttercream. Run a fork along the log lengthwise to make the praline buttercream resemble tree bark. To decorate the ends of the log, dip an index finger into the cocoa powder and make a fingerprint in the center of each of the two ends of the log. Dip a small round cutter or glass into the cocoa and stamp a circle around the fingerprint to give the impression of cross sections of a wooden log. Decorate the top of the log with holiday ornaments and meringue mushrooms. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
* Since many home ovens do not fit trays this large, the recipe may be halved and made to serve 6 people using a tray measuring 18" x 13".
by Daniel Boulud
Meringue Mushrooms
Yield:
Approximately 100 mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1c Egg whites, room temperature
- Lemon, juice of
- 2c Sugar
- 2tbs Cocoa powder
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 225F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and lemon juice until soft peaks are formed. Add 1/3 of the sugar and beat until completely incorporated. Repeat this step twice until all the sugar has been added and stiff peaks are formed.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or use non stick baking sheets). Using a pastry bag fitted with a smooth round " diameter tip, pipe the stems on one sheet and the caps on the second sheet. To create the stems, draw the pastry bag upwards applying even pressure all the way until desired height is achieved and then allow the stem to end in a point (height approximately 1"). To create the caps, hold the bag about " above the baking sheet, and apply pressure until a round is formed (approximately 2" in diameter). Reserve a few tablespoons of meringue mixture to use later to glue the stems and caps together.
Using a sifter, dust the caps with powdered cocoa. Bake the stems and caps about hour or until firm. Remove from the oven. Using a small pointed paring knife, make a tiny hole in the under side of each cap and fill with a drop of the remaining un-baked meringue mixture. Place the caps over the points of the stems and continue to bake for about 2 hours more, or until completely hard and dry.
Store the mushrooms in an airtight container in a cool, dry environment.
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