Sheets Culinary Feats

The traditional Yule log was a large log that was burned all night long during the celebration. However sometime during the 18th or 19th century the French created a pastry out of the conecpt and began serving it during Christmas celebrations. It is basically a jelly roll filled with hazelnut mousse and coated in chocolate. Now a days the pastries are done up beautifully to more greatly resemble the log they are name after.

The jelly roll in this recipe is very light and delicate and requires a gentle touch when you are rolling it up. It’s much easier if you use a long piece of parchament paper underneath the log to help you roll it up nice and tight. There’s a lot of steps to this recipe, but it’ll turn out looking gorgeous at the end. I’ve left out the meringue mushrooms, but if you’re interested in putting them on the log, leave a note and I’ll post the recipe.

Yule Log

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

6 eggs, seperated

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted

For the hazelnut mousse:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

5 ounces hazel nuts, toasted

5 ounces milk chocolate cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon hazelnut oil

For the chocolate frosting:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut in small pieces

8 ounces unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 strong coffee

1/4 cup sour cream

Method of Preparation:

For the cake:

1. Butter a jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and sprinkle with flour, tapping to remove excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
3. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the machine up to high, and beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, continue to beat until shiny but not stiff.
4. Add the flour to the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add l/4 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, whisking to lighten the mixture. Then return the yolk mixture to the egg whites, and fold gently.
5. Scrape into the prepared pan and even the top by running a long offset spatula across the surface. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, l2 to l5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Set aside.

For Hazelnut mousse:

1. Place cooled hazelnuts on a kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for l minute. Add the hazelnut oil through the feeder tube and process until a paste forms.
2. Melt chocolate in a medium bowl placed over simmering water, or melt in a microwave oven. Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut paste and set aside.
3. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the hazelnut/chocolate mixture. Keep covered in the refrigerator until needed.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate. In a small pot, heat the coffee and cocoa. Add the sour cream.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and combine completely. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until of spreading consistency.

To Assemble:

1. Trim the edges of the sponge cake. Place the Hazelnut mousse on the cake layer. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a l inch space along the long side.
2. Using the parchment paper to aid you, carefully roll up the cake into a thick log, enclosing the mousse. Leave the wrapped, rolled-up cake on the sheet pan and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours.
3. Remove pan with cake from refrigerator and place wrapped cake on a firm surface. Carefully unwrap cake. Using a serrated knife, from one end cut a 2-inch piece of cake on the diagonal. Set the cut piece aside.
4. Cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the cake. Cover the cardboard with foil and place the cake on it. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the small cut piece and set on top of the cake roll. Using a small spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake as well as the small piece atop the cake. With a wooden skewer or the point of a small knife, make furrows to simulate bark along the sides and top of the cake.
5. Arrange Christmas greens and plastic holly around the Yule Log. Sift powdered sugar over the whole thing to simulate snow. Fresh cranberries can be scattered around for added color.

I love the holidays myself, namely the wonderful food traditions. Nothing beats getting together with friends and family and celebrating with some great food, great conversation, and the opening of presents and what not.

I’ve worked rather extensively with a Jewish catering service and it was wonderful for me to learn the different traditions that are celebrated for Hanukkah. 10 years ago if you had asked me if I would ever eat a potato pancake with applesauce and sour cream I’d have looked at you like you were a nutter. Now though, I find myself craving them every year.

Admittedly I’m not very up on any on Kwanzaa traditions, but it’s definitely something that I’m interested in learning all about. So if you celebrate, please comment here about your traditions and share with everyone.

I’m not attempting to exclude anyone from these recipes, so again if there’s something you’d like to see let me know and I’ll put something up. I think next week I’ll continue the holiday theme (seeing as how Christmas and Hanukkah are both next week), maybe do some Japanese Christmas recipes.

Anyways, I’d love to go over a few different recipes this week. Including:

Potato Latkes with Sour Cream and applesacue

Fudge

Yule Log