I remember it was Chef CF who showed us how to make the Bûche de Noël in Basic Pastry, and it was a fun experience to make that cake (which was basically a swiss roll covered with buttercream, and shaped like a log). This time, however, the Bûche de Noël is made with chocolate mousse, vanilla chiboust cream, dacquoise base and dark glaze instead. The components are a lot more difficult to handle because everything is so soft and delicate. To me, the key to success is to have a chiboust cream (= pastry cream + gelatin + Italian meringue) that is set properly and a chocolate mousse (= melted choc + whipped cream + sabayon) with the right consistency.
As for the soufflé, it had a ramekin-size disc of chocolate blini (or flourless chocolate biscuit) and a piped drop of coffee ganache in the middle of the chocolate soufflé mixture (= pastry cream + chocolate + French meringue). For the soufflé we were required to work in pairs to prepare the components, but presented our plating individually.
Here are some photos of Chef H's creations:
Chef H's simple but effective presentation of the hot chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice cream. By the way, that was the best vanilla ice cream I'd ever tasted. Two whole vanilla beans went into the crème anglaise, so you can imagine how nice the flavour would be.
Top view of the Bûche de Noël Chef H made
Side view of the Bûche de Noël that Chef H made
On Friday afternoon, we had 5 hours to make (1) the Bûche de Noël (Mousse Version) - full-size cake plus plated dessert, and (2) the Hot Chocolate Soufflé and Vanilla Ice Cream as a plated dessert. Everything made from scratch, of course. Even the vanilla ice cream.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I did Bistro in the morning and was a little tired (not physically, but mentally) when I got to the workshop. When I was making the chiboust cream, I forgot to put gelatin into my pastry cream (not the first time, and probably will not be my last either, I'm sad to say), but thankfully Chef H was there to remind me. Saved at the last minute again!
Hmm ... I seldom use my digital timer for anything, but I'm thinking from now on I should set it to go off as a reminder for gelatin, instead of a reminder for timing. For instance, I could set it to beep as I am finishing off the pastry cream and I would then remember to add the gelatin into my mixture. This would be especially useful in the final exam, seeing as the chefs won't be allowed to remind us of these little things then. (As Chef H always says, "Problem ... Solution..." If I have a problem, I should find a solution for it.)
Anyway, the hot chocolate soufflé my prac partner and I made turned out just fine. It rose nicely and evenly. I really enjoyed working with my partner on this task -- she is new to Group B, but she was a calming influence on me, and we worked quite well together.
I do not have a photo of the hot chocolate soufflé because I was busy serving it as soon as it was done. It would have deflated if I had taken the time to take a photo of it.
However, this was what my Bûche de Noël looked like (I remembered to take photos of it when I got home, and before my housemates dug in):
Top view of my Bûche de Noël, decorated with nuts, chocolate triangles and chocolate leaves (made with leaf-shaped cookie cutters). Chef H said my piping for the two sides of the cake was somewhat uneven, so more care needed when I do this in the future.
This is the cross-section of my Bûche de Noël. See the vanilla chiboust cream in the centre? It was made first, and when it was frozen, it was inserted into the chocolate mousse. When the chocolate mousse was frozen, it was turned out of the mold and then glazed with a dark glaze. (It was a long, u-shape mold we used. When you inverted it, it became an "n-shape" cake. That's how it was done.)
Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of my plated Bûche de Noël before Chef H tasted it. Chef said my portion size for the plated dessert was too small. I had instinctively cut the portion in terms of what I myself would eat (i.e. a smaller portion), when it should have been in accordance with the rule that everything on a dessert plate should add up to about 120 grams. My plated dessert was at most 90 grams (probably closer to 80 grams). So, this is something to keep in mind for the next practical... Maybe I should start weighing the plated dessert on my scale from now on. (Weigh the plate before and after plating to see if the food on the plate comes to 120 grams.) That would certainly teach me to estimate 120 grams of food/cake in the future.
In the food industry, experience really counts. The chefs have so much experience that I don't think they are even aware of how much they take for granted now. For someone like me, everything has to be learnt from scratch. Especially when I did not grow up with this particular type of cuisine and pastry. In other words, I don't have an intuitive feel for French cuisine/pastry that the chefs would have (simply because they grew up with it). And until I learn it, I would not know what looks/tastes/feels normal/natural in French cuisine/pastry.
To me, this is like learning a new language. Until your ears become accustom to a new pronunciation system, it takes a lot of mental effort or mental resources just to keep up.
