Roulade Cake

Our take on the traditional Bûche de Noël: Chocolate Mousse with Walnut Tuile rolled up in an Espresso Infused Vanilla Cake and voila!

For the recipe:

Roulade cake

• 4 egg whites
• 125 grams (1/2 cup & 2 tablespoons) sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 125 gram (1 cup) cake flour, sifted
• 60 grams (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
• simple syrup with a shot of espresso added

Set oven at 350F

Using butter, draw an x on a sheet pan and place a piece of parchment on top.
Make a meringue with egg whites and sugar, adding the sugar in stages until you've reached stiff peaks.
Fold egg yolks into the meringue, then add the cake flour, making sure not to deflate the batter.
Add the melted (but not hot) butter carefully, you don't want the batter to deflate.
Spread the batter on your sheet pan and bake until the center springs back to the touch.
Remove from the oven and cool.

Chocolate Mousse

• 150 grams (1 cup) bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 pack of gelatin
• 375 grams (1 1/2 cup) of heavy cream
• 75 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk

Melt the chocolate over simmering water. Remove it from the heat once 3/4 of the chocolate has melted, it'll finish melting slowly.
Sprinkle gelatin over a few tablespoons of cold water and set aside.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and chill.
Place eggs and yolks in a mixer fitted with whisk attachment and whip until light and creamy.
In the meantime, place sugar with water in a pot. You should add just enough water to make it sandy in texture. Clean the sides of the pot with water and cook to softball stage on a candy thermometer.
Once sugar is ready, quickly drop the gelatin into it to melt and pour the liquid over the whipping eggs, making sure to let it run down the side of the bowl and not anywhere near the whisk.
Once the whipping eggs are cooled but slightly warm, add the melted chocolate, then fold in the whipped cream. Chill.

Walnut Tuiles

• 300 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
• 60 grams (1/2 cup) flour
• 16 grams (1 tablespoon) milk
• 210 grams (15 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 44 grams (1/2 cup) walnut powder
• 150 grams (1 1/2 cups) walnuts, chopped

Mix all the dry ingredients (except for the chopped walnuts) together first, then add the melted butter and milk. Add the chopped walnuts last.
Place small circular and flat mounds of the batter on a silicone mat and bake at 350F until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool.

To assemble the cake:

Soak the roulade cake with espresso simple syrup.
Spread a layer of chocolate mousse over the entire surface of the cake.
Add a nice layer of walnut tuile crumbles (that you've previously crumbled up with your hands) on top of the layer of mousse.
Roll up the cake tightly using the parchment to help you guide the cake then chill it for a good hour. It'll be easier to handle that way.
Cover the cake with the remaining chocolate mousse and when you're close to serving, decorate the sides and top with walnut tuiles.

Shortbread Cookies

 Here's another holiday treat idea. Shortbread is so simple but so good, who can resist that sweet and savory buttery taste! Using a quality butter (like Kate's homemade) is key since butter is the star in this recipe. Wrap a few of them up and you have yourself a gift! 

For the recipe:

• 225 grams (16 tablespoons) butter
• 2 grams (1 teaspoon) sea salt
• 70 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
• 225 grams (1 3/4 cup) all purpose flour
• 75 grams (3/4 cup) corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Cream butter, sugar, zest and salt. 
Sift the flour and corn starch together, then add to the butter and mix until just combined.
Bake in a bar shape (loaf pan works great) at 325F until skewer comes out clean.  Let cool a bit, then cut into bar shapes with serrated knife. 

Sea Salted Caramels

You'll make some friends if you carry these around with you.  Wrapped caramels make a great DIY gift!!

For the recipe: 

• 480 grams (2 cup) heavy cream 
• 1 vanilla bean, split & scraped
• 480 grams (2 cup) sugar
• 250 grams (1 cup) lavender or wildflower honey
• 60 grams (4 tablespoons) butter (preferably Kate's homemade butter from Maine)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

You'll need a candy thermometer and an 8 " ring mold or baking dish. 

Boil heavy cream and vanilla bean, set aside to steep.
Combine sugar and honey and cook until it reaches 310F on a candy thermometer. 
Add heavy cream, butter and salt and cook to 250F on a candy thermometer, then pour into your mold (greased with parchment added to the bottom for easy unmolding. If using a ring mold, place it on top of a silicone mat before pouring caramel).  
Once the caramel has cooled, unmold and cut into desired shape (grease the knife for easier cutting).