La bûche de Noël
Since the days I can remember the holidays season spent at my Grand parents's place near the Atlantic Coast, an hour away inland from La Rochelle, the image of La bûche arriving at the end of the meal, still fills my eyes and ears. When we immigrated in 1997 to another West Coast, the Canadian Pacific North West in Vancouver, BC we had to recreate and pass on this Christmas tradition to the new generation. An email from my beloved aunt Simone dated Tue, 30 Dec 1997 at 22:32 stills holds the recipe, I guess we were so desperate to hold on traditions from home this first Christmas far far away from home that we asked after Christmas my aunt if she would have the recipe... Since then, every year not only we are pleased to taste the miraculous bûche, but a flow of images and sounds from the past comes back and illuminates the meal of the 25th of December.
This recipe needs to be made one day before eating.
First day: Biscuit and chocolate mousse garnishment.
To prepare the biscuit, mix together:
4 egg yolks
8 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
6 tablespoons of flour
6 tablespoons of starch
1/2 pack of yeast or baking powder.
4 egg whites wipped
Put parchemin paper on a rectangular pan, pour the mix on it and bake for 10 min at 375 F.
Once baked, roll it a tea towel.
To prepare the chocolate mousse, mix together:
3 egg yolks
150g of sugar
150g of melted chocolate
3 egg whites wipped, added delicately at the end.
When the biscuit is cold, garnish the interior with the chocolate mousse.
Cut each extremity and put them on the bûche to mimic a cut branch.
Garnish the exterior with the remaining chocolate mousse.
Put in the fridge covered by aluminum paper fro 24 hours.
Second day: Sprinkle with iced sugar and decorate.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS SEASON AND
ALL THE BEST FOR 2019!
