Ingredient: orange zest, finely grated

Walnut Orange Buche de Noel

Buche de Noel  is not just another cake roll. It is THE cake. As in, the iconic French Christmas Cake. It was a tradition, dating from pre-Christian times, to honor the God Thor and celebrate the winter solstice with the building of a bonfire. As Christmas came to replace the winter solstice celebrations, France carried on the tradition for a ‘Yule’ log by cutting down a tree each year and placing it in the fireplace so heat from the log could be used to prepare the Christmas Eve midnight supper. The ashes from this yule log were believed to hold magical and medicinal powers that would ward off the evil spirits in the coming year. Another tradition was started when new homes were built without fireplaces so they could not burn a real yule log. The story goes than an innovative French pastry chef came up with the idea of replacing the real yule log with a cake that was log shaped.

Marzipan and meringue decorations, two of the most popular choices for yule logs, appeared on many a medieval table. Sponge cake, which often constitutes the base of the log, is one of the oldest cakes still made today, dating back to at least 1615.

The beauty of this cake is that you can use any flavor combination that you choose in both the cake and filling. It can range all the way from very basic to very sophisticated. During the many years I worked in the commercial food industry, it was probably one of the most requested desserts with trifle coming in right behind it.

Print Recipe
 Walnut Orange Buche de Noel
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French
Servings
Ingredients
Cake Roll
Orange Mascarpone Filling
Chocolate Bark
Meringue Mushrooms
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French
Servings
Ingredients
Cake Roll
Orange Mascarpone Filling
Chocolate Bark
Meringue Mushrooms
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Cake Roll
  1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a 12 X 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray & flour parchment, tapping off excess; set aside. In a food processor, pulse walnuts with flour until coarsely ground; set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks with 5 Tbsp sugar until thick & pale. Beat in vanilla. In a clean mixing bowl fitted with a clean whisk, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks. form. Gradually add remaining 5 Tbsp sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture in 3 equal batches; add walnut/flour mixture with last batch.
  3. Spread batter evenly in prepared baking pan. Bake until top is golden & springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Run a small sharp knife around edges of cake; invert cake onto a clean, dry towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off parchment paper. Starting at short side, gently roll the cake into a log, incorporating towel. Transfer to a wire rack, cool completely for about 1 hour.
Orange Mascarpone Filling
  1. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat all ingredients except heavy cream, until smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream.
Chocolate Bark
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Place chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl; set over a pan of simmering water, stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat; let chocolate cool, stirring occasionally, until it registers 88 degrees on a candy thermometer.
  2. Pour onto prepared baking sheet; spread evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until firm but still pliable, 8-10 minutes. Tear into jagged pieces, no larger than 1 1/2-inches each. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
Meringue Mushrooms
  1. Preheat oven to 200 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form then increase speed to high & gradually add sugar, 1 tsp at a time. Beat egg whites until shiny & hold stiff peaks, being careful not to dry. Spoon meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.
  2. For Mushroom Caps: hold the pastry bag at a 90 degree angle about 1/2-inch from the parchment. Using firm & even pressure, squeeze out a round meringue disk about 2-inches in diameter & 1-inch high. Stop squeezing, then twist the bag & lift it from the meringue to get a clean 'break' from the cap. Repeat in regular intervals on the baking sheet until you have approximately 2 dozen mushroom caps. You can smooth out the tops by wetting you index finger & lightly running it along the caps.
  3. For Stems: Position the bag perpendicular, about 1/2-inch from the baking sheet. Begin squeezing the bag to form a 1-inch round base. Continue to squeeze as you slowly & evenly draw the bag up, forming a tapering stem about 1 1/2-inches tall. Use the remaining meringue to pipe as many stems as possible.
  4. Bake the meringues for about 90 minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time to ensure even baking. The meringues should be hard to the touch & easy to lift off the parchment. Once they are done, turn off the oven & let them sit in the oven for several hours.
  5. To Assemble the Mushrooms: melt white chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Use a toothpick to carve a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Dip the top of a stem into white chocolate, then place the stem in the hole on the bottom of mushroom cap. Repeat until all caps & stems are used; placing them on a baking sheet. Place cocoa powder in a wire sieve & lightly dust tops of the mushrooms.
  6. Due to the amount of time required to make mushrooms, it is nice if you can do this well in advance. Mushrooms can be stored for up to a month in an airtight container in a cool, dark room. Humidity can make them collapse, so do not place them on a cake (or in the refrigerator) until immediately before serving.
Assembly of Buche de Noel
  1. Reserve 1 1/2 cups mascarpone filling. Unroll cake & spread with remaining filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Carefully re-roll cake. Arrange, seam side down, on serving platter. Spread top & sides ONLY with remaining 1 1/2 cups mascarpone filling. Using a serrated knife, trim off ends of log to even it ( if you wish ). Arrange chocolate bark, overlapping pieces slightly, to look like wood bark. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Garnish with meringue mushrooms, fresh, whole cranberries, marzipan holly leaves, a dusting of powdered sugar or whatever is your choice.

Almond Orange Blossom Cookies

A special memory that comes to mind at this time of year is the scent of orange blossoms. While it is still winter in our part of Canada, in Seville, Spain spring is in the air. Mid March to early April, for about three weeks in Spain’s sun-bleached region of Andalusia, there’s a soft intoxicating fragrance reminiscent of magnolia and wisteria flowers. The heady, powerful smell of orange blossom pervades the whole city.

Brion and I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Seville, in early spring one year. It was an amazing sight seeing all those beautiful orange trees. A number of our pictures in this blog show the abundance of the fruit that is produced.

These bitter orange trees from China were introduced to Spain by the Moors in the eighth century and were planted in the beautiful courtyards of the Alhambra  in Granada, and throughout the south of Spain. They have become known as Seville Oranges. Unique to citrus trees is the fact that fruit from the previous season can remain on the tree while the blossoms for the next season’s crop arrive. A flowering deciduous, evergreen that provides shade in the summer and thick swatches of lush green to line the streets in winter.

The fruit of the Sevillian orange tree is too bitter for fresh consumption. It has been put to good use in many other ways such as in the production of liqueurs and wine or for making confectionery like creams, pastries and chocolates. But above all for the well known Seville Orange Marmalade.

Orange Blossom Water is another product which is derived from the distillation of the orange tree flowers. This use of orange blossom water in cooking comes to the west from North Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The flavor of this distilled water is flowery but not too overpowering. The important thing is to use very little to give the merest hint of fragrance. Orange blossom pairs well with apricots, figs, strawberries, rhubarb, pears and dates. Add a few drops to fruit salads, stewed or poached fruit and fruit crepes.

The cookies in this blog are delicate like their namesake blossoms and lightly ‘perfumed’ with orange blossom water and orange zest. The almonds add an extra bonus in the flavor. I just love the ‘exotic’ touch fragrant water gives to baked goods.

The Plaza de Espana that Brion and I are standing in front of is a spectacular building, waterway and square. It was built as the centerpiece of the 1929 Ibero-American Expo. Colored ceramics feature heavily around the plaza. The provincial alcoves, walls, ornate bridges and balustrades are also covered in ‘azulejoz’. The plaza has been used over the decades as a location for filming several movies such as Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia.

I hope you will enjoy the cookie recipe as well as my mental journey to Seville.

 

Print Recipe
 Almond Orange Blossom Cookies
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French, German, Middle Eastern, Moroccan
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, European, French, German, Middle Eastern, Moroccan
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, beat butter & orange blossom water together until smooth & creamy. Add sugars & salt; continue beating for about 1 minute. Add egg yolks & zest; beat on low until well blended.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together flour & almond meal. Combine flour mixture with wet mixture, mixing only until combined. DO NOT OVER MIX.
  3. Using a rubber spatula, transfer this soft, sticky dough to a piece of plastic wrap & gently form into a disk. Wrap the disk & refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove disk from refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter with a fluted edge, cut out cookies & place on baking sheets.
  5. Top cookies with sliced almonds. Bake for 12-15 minutes. When baked, cookies should have a light brown bottom, light golden edges & pale tops. Remove from oven, letting them rest on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before carefully sliding parchment paper with cookies onto a rack. DO NOT OVER BAKE! The cookies finish setting up as they cool.
Recipe Notes
  • If you would rather not cut them out with a cookie cutter,  just form a log when you wrap the dough in the plastic wrap. After refrigerating, unwrap, slice & bake.

Stollen Bread Pudding with Spiced Orange Sauce

Now comes the time to use up all those remaining tidbits of holiday baking still in the freezer. For those who haven’t tried it, sweet bread pudding is perhaps the ultimate comfort food. It’s simple to make, requires no special equipment and uses basic ingredients. It’s not even particularly beautiful on the plate, but it sure tastes good.

Just about every culture that makes bread has it’s own version of bread pudding. An open textured loaf with lots of holes become little pockets of custard. If you choose a bread that is quite ‘airy’ but has good chewiness, your pudding will strike a satisfying balance between lightness and body. In contrast, a loaf with a tight crumb makes a compact pudding with a dense texture.

The custard is what binds the bread together and creates the pudding’s lusciousness. Milk, eggs, sugar and flavoring are the basic elements but of course, other variations can be layered in as well.

Bread pudding was definitely a dessert my mother made since she baked bread every week. At that time it was pretty basic but nevertheless homey and good.

Today, January 22, our family celebrates the birthday of my sister, Marilyn. Birthdays were always made to be special as we were growing up. Not so much as to gifts but in regards to the family acknowledgement of ‘your’ day. My mother loved having a reason to use her cake decorating skills, so your birthday cake was always very unique. 

For something special to mark the occasion, I have prepared               STOLLEN BREAD PUDDING with SPICED ORANGE SAUCE  on my blog.

                      WE SEND BIRTHDAY WISHES TO YOU, MARILYN —

                                ENJOY YOUR DAY TO THE FULLEST!

 

Print Recipe
 Stollen Bread Pudding with Spiced Orange Sauce
A delicious variation on a classic made with heavenly German stollen bread.
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine German
Servings
Ingredients
Spiced Orange Sauce
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine German
Servings
Ingredients
Spiced Orange Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Bread Pudding
  1. Arrange stollen cubes to fit compactly into a buttered 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Do not compress to tightly; set aside any leftover cubes. Whisk together eggs & 1 cup powdered sugar until the sugar is dissolved & the mixture becomes light yellow in color. Add cream, vanilla & Grand Marnier; whisk to combine. Stir in a pinch of salt, nutmeg, lemon & orange zest.
  2. Pour mixture over stollen cubes. Cover & refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove bread from refrigerator, uncover & dot the top of the pudding with butter & sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar.
  3. Set baking dish into a shallow roasting pan, larger that baking dish. Set them onto the center rack of the oven. Pour hot water into larger pan until it reaches about halfway up the side of the pudding dish. Bake until fully set & a knife inserted into center comes out clean, 60-75 minutes. Carefully remove the pudding from the water bath & cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Spiced Orange Sauce
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar, Grand Marnier, water, cardamom & salt. Over medium heat, stir until sugar is fully dissolved & the liquid is heated through. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk egg until well beaten. While whisking egg, slowly pour 2 Tbsp. of the hot mixture into bowl with the egg. Then, while whisking the mixture vigorously, slowly pour the warmed egg mixture back into the sauce.
  2. Place the saucepan back over low heat, gently stirring the sauce, raising the temperature slowly to medium. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Spoon over pudding & serve immediately.