Mná Top Chef

Christmas Log, Vanilla and Red fruit

Tested and Enjoyed by : Anne Marie Mullen Puccetti

Ingredients

The compote of red fruits:
300 g of frozen red fruits
60 g of sugar
4 g pectin NH topping (or 16 g Vitpris)

The madeleine cake base :
50 g of butter
2 eggs
120 g of sugar
the zests of a yellow lemon
25 g whole milk
5 g of yellow lemon juice
75 g of virgin olive oil
125 g of flour type 45
4 g of baking powder

The vanilla mousse:
4 g gelatin
30 g of egg yolks
30 g of sugar
100 g whole milk
15 g of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean
5 g of vanilla extract
300 g of whipping cream

The mirror glazing:
150 g of powdered sugar
150 g glucose in syrup
75 g of water
100 g of liquid cream with 30% MG (or condensed milk)
150 g white chocolate (Valrhona ivory)
9 g gelatin

Decor (optional):
40 of egg white
40 of icing sugar
a little bit of rapped coco

Instructions

Cook the red fruit mixture in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile, mix the sugar and pectin. (I use Gelatin here often)
When fruit is hot (minimum 40°C), pour in the sugar then mix immediately using a whisk.
Bring to a boil and let the compote cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir regularly so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Pour into a “moule à insert” which you can buy or make quite easily insert then set aside in the freezer.

The madeleine cake base:
Preheat the oven to 170°C convection.
Melt the butter then remove it from the heat. In a bowl, or with your stand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar for 1 full minute. Add the lemon zest and melted butter (when cooled) then mix again. Add the milk, lemon juice and olive oil then mix. Finish by pouring the flour and baking powder previously sieved.Mix gently until the dough is smooth and homogeneous. I used an adjustable frame to bake my cake, in the book the chef uses a cake pan (make with what you have).Pour the batter into a frame about 30 cm (the length of the log) on 20 cm, or in a large cake mould.
Bake at 170°C: 18 minutes if you use a frame, about 25 to 30 minutes for a cake mould. And cool on a rack.
Cut a strip 30 cm long by 7 cm wide, then another 30 cm long by 4 cm wide (or the width of your insert).
For the thickness, it is advisable to have 1 cm. If you have more, resize the cake because you might not manage to fit everything into your log mold!

Reserve in an airtight box until assembly. You can peck at the scraps (and enjoy this delicious biscuit!).

The vanilla mousse:
Put the gelatin to soak in a large bowl of cold water.The recipe for the vanilla log and red fruits
Prepare a custard: bring the milk, 15 g of cream and vanilla (scraped and extracted pod) to the boil. Whisk the yolks with the sugar. Pour the hot milk over the eggs, mix then cook everything again at 83°C. Remove from heat, add the gelatin previously drained and mix. Pour it in a salad bowl or a mixing bowl and let it cool down to 30°C.
Turn up the 300 g of whipped cream like a chantilly. Add the whipped cream to your custard twice, gently mixing with a spatula.

Put the whole log together once this step is finished/

Assembly of the log:
Pour two-thirds of vanilla mousse into your log pan. Line the edges of the mould with foam to avoid air bubbles.
Unmould your insert with red fruit then press it into the mould. Add the narrowest strip of cake to your insert. Pour the rest of the foam then place the last cake
Smooth then reserve in the freezer for the night.

The mirror glazing:
Put the gelatin to soak in a large bowl of cold water. Pour the water, sugar and glucose into a saucepan and bring to a boil at 103°C. Remove from heat, add the sweetened condensed milk and drained gelatin then chocolate. Blend using a hand blender avoiding the incorporation of air. Wait for your icing to come down to 35°C (if you have prepared the icing in advance, warm it gently). Unmould your log then pour the icing on it.

Slide a spatula under your log, pull it flat on your rack to break the icing, then place it on your dish. Keep in the fridge, it needs about 4 hours to defrost

Decoration
If you want to make small meringues for the decor (as in my photos):
Beat the whites while adding the icing sugar as you go. Your meringue must be firm.

Poach small balls (or other shapes to choose from). Sprinkle generously with shaved coconut.

Bake for 2 hours (or more for larger settings) at 90°C fan.

The meringues are to be placed at the last moment, to prevent them from melting due to the humidity of the glaze or your fridge

Tips

The meringues are to be placed at the last moment, to prevent them from melting due to the humidity of the glaze or your fridge. Each step is separate and nothing is too complicated except the mirror glazing that you dont have to do, you could always buy a spray glaze.