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‘Bûche de Noël’ aux marrons glacés, sauce chocolat

Veg

An alternative to the Swiss roll Bûche de Noël, this frozen parfait would be a refreshing yet rich finish to a Christmas meal.

Equipment and preparation: You will need a terrine mould (26cm/10½in long x 8cm/3¼in wide x 7cm/2¾in deep), and a sugar thermometer

Ingredients

For the marrons glacés and the chestnut purée

  • 120g/4oz marrons glacés (chestnuts in syrup) drained, syrup reserved

  • 3 tbsp dark rum

  • 200g/7oz sweetened chestnut purée

  • 200g/7oz unsweetened chestnut purée

For the parfait
For the crème Chantilly
For the chocolate sauce

Preparation method

  1. Break the marrons glacés into pieces, place in a bowl together with one tablespoon of the rum, and leave to marinate.

  2. MIx the two chestnut purées together with the remaining rum. Set aside.

  3. For the parfait, first make a sabayon. Beat the egg yolks in an electric mixer at high speed for 6-7 minutes, or until the yolks have tripled in volume.

  4. In a deep saucepan, bring the chestnut syrup to a boil until it reaches 120C/248F (use a sugar thermometer). When the syrup is ready, beat the egg yolks on low speed, and trickle the boiling syrup onto the egg yolks, pouring between the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Be careful not to pour the syrup onto the beaters or it may splash on your hands. Mix well, then set the sabayon aside to cool.

  5. Whip the cream to soft peaks in a mixing bowl.

  6. In another large bowl, combine the chestnut purée and the marrons glacés, and then add the whipped cream. Mix lightly, then fold in the sabayon with a spatula.

  7. Line the terrine mould with greaseproof paper. Pour in the parfait mixture and smooth the top with a palette knife. Place in the freezer for a minimum of six hours.

  8. Place a flat serving plate in the freezer to chill.

  9. Remove the terrine mould from the freezer, and dip the outside in hot water to loosen the sides of the parfait, then ease the parfait out on to the chilled serving plate. Peel off the paper.

  10. For the crème Chantilly, whip the cream with the sugar. Fill a ridge-nozzled piping bag with cream and pipe the cream over the parfait. Return to the freezer.

  11. For the chocolate sauce, place the cream in a medium saucepan and bring just to the boil over a medium heat.

  12. Slowly melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Add the boiled cream to the chocolate and stir.

  13. Serve the bûche on the serving plate surrounded by the chocolate sauce. Decorate with some chocolate flakes, and serve in slices.

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