I wasn’t going to leave you like that, those of you who may still be looking to impress your guests tomorrow evening for New Year’s Eve. On Facebook, the chocolate, sour cherry and tonka bean Yule log got your taste buds tingling, so here’s the recipe! Now, you might think it’s a bit late to get started, but believe me, it’s entirely doable for tomorrow still.
I discovered the concept of the “mystery” rolled Yule log with one of Christophe Felder’s recipes, the myrtille mystère, published in his latest book « Bûches » (I already mentioned it in my previous recipe, the blackcurrant, blueberry and vanilla Yule log). And then, it was seeing Cyril Lignac’s recipe shown on Le Meilleur Pâtissier last Tuesday that made me want to give it a go. I love the idea! As for the flavours, I simply took Cyril Lignac’s dessert. But since I didn’t have the recipe to hand, I managed all by myself, drawing inspiration from Christophe Felder’s recipe. Teamwork, I tell you!
It really is a very simple recipe to make, I promise! Simpler than the entremets I usually make. A chocolate Swiss roll sponge, a little fruit compote, you roll it up and keep it in the freezer. In the meantime, you prepare a little tonka bean mousse and you’re practically done! Yes, because this year, I spent Christmas in Normandy, at my sister’s, far from my kitchen. And it was a bit of a challenge to cook somewhere else! So I needed something simple. I arrived there with my rolled sponge and the base, made the day before, so all I had left to do was the mousse and the assembly. As for the decoration, here too I went for the simplest option and whipped out my velvet spray! Effective!
When it came to tasting, this recipe won everyone over! We all enjoyed it on the evening of the 24th, even after a hearty meal, as is only right. It’s light, not very sweet and original, provided you like tonka bean of course. If that’s not the case, use vanilla.
I wish you a very happy New Year’s Eve!
Ingredients & method
7 components · Full recipe
Sour Cherry Compote (can be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) frozen sour cherries (blended)
- 70 g (2.5 oz) sugar
- 5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
- a little lemon juice
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat the sour cherry purée (I blended frozen sour cherries that I had defrosted).
2
Off the heat, add the sugar/pectin mixture and stir with a whisk (make sure to mix the sugar and pectin together well to avoid lumps).
3
Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Chocolate Sponge
Ingredients
- 45 g (1.6 oz) egg yolks
- 75 g (2.6 oz) eggs
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar (1)
- 25 g (0.9 oz) sugar (2)
- 90 g (3.2 oz) egg whites
- 25 g (0.9 oz) plain flour
- 25 g (0.9 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- + a little dark chocolate to coat the base
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F fan.
2
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs and 50 g (1.8 oz) of sugar (1).
3
Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer at low speed to incorporate as much air as possible. The whites will start to foam. Gradually add the remaining 25 g (0.9 oz) of sugar (2).
4
Sift the flour and cocoa powder.
5
Pour half of the whipped egg whites into the first egg-based mixture. Gently fold with a spatula. Add the remaining whites along with the sifted powders. Fold gently again.
6
Spread the batter onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. You should get a rectangle of at least 30 cm (11.8 in) by 40 cm (15.7 in). Bake for approximately 12 minutes.
7
Leave the sponge to cool. To unmould it, place another sheet of parchment paper on top and flip it over. Carefully peel off the first sheet of paper.
8
Cut out a 7 cm (2.8 in) by 25 cm (9.8 in) rectangle for the yule log base and a 25 cm (9.8 in) by 25 cm (9.8 in) square for the rolled insert.
Soaking Syrup
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) water
- 45 g (1.6 oz) orgeat syrup
- 10 g (0.4 oz) orange blossom water
Method
1
In a bowl, mix together the orange blossom water and elderflower water.
Swiss Roll Insert Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Using a pastry brush, soak the large square of sponge.
2
Place it on a sheet of parchment paper then spread the sour cherry compote over it using a small offset spatula.
3
Roll the sponge up tightly to get the roundest possible insert. It must not be wider than your yule log mould to avoid any assembly issues.
Tonka Bean Ivory Mousse
Ingredients
- 116 g (4.1 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 116 g (4.1 oz) white chocolate
- 2.5 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine
- 15 g (0.5 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) full-fat double cream
- 1/2 tonka bean, grated
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
2
Make a ganache: melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie until it just begins to melt.
3
Heat the whipping cream with the vanilla seeds and pod. Leave to infuse for about ten minutes, covered.
4
Heat the cream again then, off the heat, add the well-drained gelatine.
5
Pour the cream over the white chocolate in 3 additions, emulsifying each time. The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.
6
Whip the full-fat double cream but don’t over-whip it — it should be mousse-like.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place a sheet of guitar film inside the yule log mould (this step is unnecessary if, like me, you use a silicone mould).
2
Pour three-quarters of the tonka mousse in and spread it well up the sides for a clean finish.
3
Remove the insert from the freezer and gently press it into the mousse, right in the centre. Press lightly to bring the mousse up.
4
Cover with another thin layer of mousse (leave about 1 cm (0.4 in)).
5
Finish with the sponge base. Press lightly to push it in and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Decoration
Ingredients
- a red velvet spray
- sour cherry compote
- vanilla whipped cream
- a sugar Christmas decoration
Method
1
Either you’ve invested in a paint gun (which obviously only serves this one purpose), or you do as I do and use ready-made velvet sprays. But be careful, whatever you use, there are a few rules to follow if you don’t want to repaint your kitchen!
2
Remove the entremet from the freezer, unmould it and place it on a wire rack. Personally, I stopped spraying inside my dishwasher as it still left marks even after washing. And since we have a new dishwasher, I want to look after it. I use whatever I have to hand to protect the worktop (cardboard, packaging, a plastic bag or parchment paper…). Spray a thin layer from a distance of 30–40 cm (15.7 in).
Gallery
