The French Yule Log

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This month’s challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry.   Hilda has chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.  I have wanted to make a French Yule Log for the holidays forever, so I could not wait to work on this challenge.  

What is a French Yule Log you ask, and how is it different from the Buches de Noel that the Daring Bakers made last December?  

In France, you can buy two kinds of Yule log, either the Genoise and Buttercream type such as the Buches de Noel or what is more common is a frozen Yule Log, which is very reminiscent of an ice cream cake, only it is not made of ice cream but rather chocolate mousse. 

In French, this is called an entremets, which is sometimes translated in English as simply a cream dessert. When I first read the recipe I was definitely intimidated by the 18 pages of instruction, in fact, I seriously reconsidered making it on and off for a couple weeks.  Then as with all challenges, I just decided to do it, as I knew I could this!

I came up with a plan and decided to prepare this special dessert for our annual crab fest with our friends, Evelyn, Will and MEM.

There are 6 elements to the dessert:

• Dacquoise
• Biscuit
• Mousse
• Ganache Insert
• Praline (Crisp) Insert
• Creme Brulee Insert
• Icing

The Dacquoise Biscuit called for almond meal, unfortunately, I could not find any, so I decided to prepare my own using blanched almonds.  Upon returning home I realized that I did not have enough almonds so I threw in some pistachios, which I also thought would give it a nice tint of green, for the holiday season!  The biscuit was very simple to make and reminded me of a big French Macaroon.

The Mousse was very different from the tradition or should I say, the ordinary mousses I make.   This one called for a Pate Bombe, which is simply a term for egg yolks beaten with sugar syrup and then aerated.  I decided to use a deep sultry and slightly unsweetened chocolate!  It was silky smooth and luscious.  

The Ganache was very straightforward and easy.  Once again, I went for the deepest dark chocolate I could find!  Sinful!

The Praline Feuillete was so much fun to make.  At first, I was perplexed that I would be making these delicate little lace crepes only to tear them up.  Once I began the process I had so much fun!  First, you make a crepe batter which is the same as the one you would normally use, but you spread it very thinly on a cookie sheet and bake it until it is golden and crisp.  While it cooled, I made another chocolate-based sauce out of more dark chocolate, butter and praline, then I added the crushed crepes.  Then I thinly spread it on a sheet and chilled it until it was hard.

The Creme Brulee insert I decided I did not want it to be chocolate of any sort, but instead a rich vanilla bean.  I used an entire vanilla bean in the recipe and let it steep for 2 hours instead of one.  As well I used these beautiful cage-free eggs, whose yolks were as bright as the sun and they gave the brulee a beautiful speckled shade of yellow.  Then I slowly baked the custard until firm.

The Dark Chocolate Icing was very easy to make and came out ultra smooth.  I did have to let it cool in the freezer for a few extra minutes so that it would spread easier.

The end result was a very rich but light as well as complex dessert.  There were so many flavors with the pistachios, dark sultry chocolates, the freshness of the rich speckled brulee and the surprising crunch of the Gavottes. 

The recipe was so much easier then I had thought it would be, in fact, I had so much fun making it that I can definitely see myself making it again and again.  As I said earlier, I made this dessert for our annual crab holiday dinner with friends.  When MEM gave it a big thumbs up with their smiley chocolate faces, I knew it must be good!

This dessert is meant not only for Christmas but for any time you want a fun dessert that will put a smile on anyone’s face, whether they are young or old!

There are too many steps to add a print feature to this recipe.  It is best to copy and past into a document and then print.

Recipe:  French Yule Log

Layers of Flavor
If I’ve learned anything this past year about French cuisine, it’s layering. The layering is so important to draw out all the flavors you can in a dish. And it’s so true in this dessert. My Bûche de Noël contains the following layers:

1) Almond Dacquoise
2) Dark Chocolate Mousse
3) Vanilla Cinnamon Crème Brûlée
4) Praline Feuillete Crisp
5) Dark Chocolate Ganache
6) Milk Chocolate Mousse
7) Almond Dacquoise
8) Dark Chocolate Icing

The foundation of the log is the Dacquoise, which is a dainty cake layer that’s basically a meringue with nuts. On top of the Dacquoise is a delicate mousse followed by a decadent crème brûlée. To add some crunch, a crisp praline layer is next followed by ganache, another layer of mousse and finally another layer of Dacquoise. A chocolate icing wraps this whole package up. I used a ring mold (an empty can of corn) to stack my layers instead of using a mold.

Recipe
You will want to make the elements in this order because of what you can get done while some elements are baking and given some of the prep times. This is the order I made mine in:

a) Mousse
b) Creme brûlée
c) Praline and Praline Feuillete (Crisp)
d) Dacquoise
e) Ganache
f) Icing

Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

Preparation time: 10 min + 15 min for baking
Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper
Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as the bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:
2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the caster sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. 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).
7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

Element #2 Dark Chocolate Mousse

Preparation time: 20mn
Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula
Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousses and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brulee insert.

Ingredients:
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1+1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)
2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in color (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
3. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
4. 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.
5. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
6.  In a double boiler (or one small saucepan in a larger one), heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
7.  Whip the rest of the cream until stiff.
8.  Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
9. Add in the rest of the whipped cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

Element #3 Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert

Preparation time: 10mn
Equipment: pan, whisk. If you have a plunging mixer it comes in handy.
Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Ingredients:
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. 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 (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. 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.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4.  Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Element #4 Praline Feuillete (Crisp) Insert

Preparation time: 10 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)
Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or use an empty bottle of olive oil).
Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. To our knowledge, they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice Krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them. If you do substitute cereal you should use half of the stated quantity, so 1 oz of cereal.
To make 2.1oz / 60g of gavottes (lace crepes – recipe by Ferich Mounia):

Ingredients:
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
2/3 Tbsp (8g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup – 2tsp (35g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp / 0.5 oz (15g) beaten egg
1 tsp (3.5g) granulated sugar
½ tsp vegetable oil

1. Heat the milk and butter together until butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
2. Sift flour into the milk-butter mixture while beating, add egg and granulated sugar. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Grease a baking sheet and spread batter thinly over it.
4. Bake at 430°F (220°C) for a few minutes until the crepe is golden and crispy. Let cool.

Ingredients for the Praline Feuillete:
3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) butter
2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline
2.1oz (60g) lace crepes(gavottes) or rice Krispies or corn flakes or Special K

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

Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking
Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper
Note: The vanilla crème brulée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc…

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4.  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 (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
   Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won’t matter as much since it will be covered with other things)….BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
   – you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
   – you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
   – it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
   Now…since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

Element #6 Dark Chocolate Icing

Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)
Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan
Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.

Ingredients:
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2.  Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4.  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.
5. How To Assemble your French Yule Log

THIS IS FOR UNMOLDING FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO RIGHT SIDE UP.
You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.

1. Line your mold or pan, whatever its shape, with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it’s easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR saran wrap or cling film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you’re using.
2. You have two choices for Step 2, you can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log as in version A or you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log as in version B:
3. Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
4. Pipe one-third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
5. Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
6.  Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
7.  Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert 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.
8.  Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
9.  Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
10.  Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
11.  Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.
12. Freeze until the next day.

OR

1.  Pipe one-third of the Mousse component into the mold.
2.  Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
3. Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
4. Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert 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.
5.  Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
6.  Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
7.  Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
8.  Close with the Dacquoise.
9. Freeze until the next day.

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with TWO pieces of Dacquoise the order is:
1) Dacquoise
2) Mousse
3) Creme Brulee Insert
4) Mousse
5) Praline/Crisp Insert
6) Mousse
7) Ganache Insert
8) Dacquoise

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with ONE piece of Dacquoise on the BOTTOM ONLY the order is:
1) Mousse
2) Creme Brulee Insert
3) Mousse
4) Praline/Crisp Insert
5) Mousse
6) Ganache Insert
7) Dacquoise

THE NEXT DAY…
Unmold the log and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the log with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc…
Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than ½ hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly depending on the elements you chose.