Guest Spotlight: Margo from Off The Wheaten Path

Today we have a guest spotlight: Margo from Off The Wheaten Path! She is my friend from Utah, who is an expert at keeping her family gluten free! She is excellent at feeding her family on the go, and making sure nobdy gets sick! I'm excited to have her here to teach us about quick and easy lunches.

Make sure to swing by her blog to check out my posting on gluten free baking science, flour combinations, and my favorite pizza dough!


The Problem With Lunch
By Margo!

There are three times most people eat during the day: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. And for folks with celiac's disease or a wheat intolerance, I think Lunch is the most difficult.Think about it: sandwiches, soups, leftover pasta salad, macaroni and cheese. Lunch is traditionally a pretty gluten-heavy meal. Oh, you can find ways to just leave out the bread, but have you ever tried to pack that stuff when you're going on an outing with your children? Or when you're traveling and don't know what's available? Or when you're trying to cut down on expenses by packing a lunch for work?

Here are a few options for eating lunch on the go.

Blue Diamond Cheddar Cheese Almond Crackers and Tribe Classic Gluten Free Hummus. I like to take ten crackers, spread one with hummus and top with another cracker, just like an oreo. They pack well in a ziploc. Pair these with a cheese stick and some fruit. Great for the zoo or an outing where you don't want to use utensils.

Smart and Delicious Teff Wraps with Roast Beef and Cheddar. Talk about easy. Just spread the wrap with whatever sandwich spread you like, mayo, mustard, horseradish even, layer on the meat and cheese and roll it up. I like to cut mine in half so they are easier to handle. You could also use a rice wrap from the Asian food section. You need to soften them with warm water before you roll them up. Pair these with your favorite flavor of greek yogurt and some baby carrots and all you need is a plastic spoon.

Lettuce Wrap with Turkey, Green Onion, and Asian Mayo. I know Asian Mayo sounds fancy, but it's just regular mayo with a little La Choy soy sauce and some garlic salt mixed in. These are great because you probably have all of those things in your refrigerator right now. Take a large piece of Romaine lettuce, spread with your mayo mixture, layer the turkey and place the green onion right in the middle. Roll up the lettuce. If your lettuce is really big, cut in half lengthwise. Secure with a toothpick if that helps keep it together until lunchtime. I like to eat these with Boulder Canyon brand Rice and Adzuki bean chips.

If you have the time to sit down and eat at a table (like in a cafeteria) I suggest making up some Perfect Pasta Salad and putting it in individual tupperware containers. You can get three lunch portions out of one recipe and the flavor tastes better when it's had time to chill in the refrigerator, making it a perfect option for those mornings when you don't have time to prepare lunch. This dish is great with a 123 Gluten Free biscuit. If you have access to a microwave, those are great heated up for about 15 seconds, just to warm them through. I like to make a batch of Decadent Chocolate Cake mix and make it into cupcakes. Then I frost it with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting and freeze each one individually. Then, not only am I not tempted to eat the whole batch at once, I can just grab a ziploc baggie, throw it in my lunch, and by lunchtime it's defrosted and ready to devour. Yummy.

You can also take leftovers of Homemade Mac and Cheese, Potato Soup, Funeral Potatoes, or if you're at home, you can make Nachos Libre, or heat up a can of Progresso Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. I also like to make Grilled Cheese sandwiches with Kinnikinnick Brown Sandwich Bread or Grandpa's Kitchen Bread with Meunster cheese and a can of Amy's Chunky Tomato Bisque Soup and a can of Progresso Creamy Mushroom soup and 1/2 cup of Minute Rice mixed together. It makes a great Creamy Tomato Mushroom Rice soup. I also like Amy's Cheese Enchilada Meal. It's just the right size and heats in only 5 minutes.

Sometimes you don't have time to pack a lunch and you don't have a microwave. Or, you may go out to lunch with friends or coworkers. What should you eat then? As far as fast food goes, here is a great website reporting on gluten free fast food menus. Wendy's has saved me with their chili and fries more times than you can count. They also have some good salad options. Just check the salad dressing and make sure you order grilled instead of crispy chicken. Carl's Jr. has the lettuce wrap option on all their sandwiches. (A hint: order the Famous Star as a low carb wrap. It's a lower fat patty. The Six Dollar Burger Patties are SO fattening.) If it has a Green Burrito inside, you can also get a side of chips and salsa if that tickles your fancy. You can order several salads at Subway. And there's always a crispy shelled taco or taco supreme at Taco Bell. Here is an example of why you should always check restaurants out on Gluten Free Fox or Gluten Free Fast Food: I was under the impression that McDonald's fries were gluten free. In fact I ate some yesterday. However, THEY ARE NOT. In 2006 (where have I been? Happily eating fries, that's where...) McDonald's admitted they have gluten in their fries. Aaaugh! And the Chicken Breast filet is not safe, even if you order it grilled. So your best bet there is a plain hamburger patty and stop at Wendy's on the way back to the office.

If you're eating at more of a sit-down restaurant, Chili's has a Mushroom Swiss burger you can order without the bun that is great with a side of vegetables. Another good go-to at any restaurant is to order a Cobb Salad without the blue cheese and a vinaigrette dressing (careful of those creamy ones!) Pier 49 Pizza now offers a gluten-free crust, and some Chinese restaurants will make dishes with cornstarch breading on chicken and LaChoy sauce in the sauces. Always, always, always ask for a gluten-free menu or ask your server about ingredients. Don't forget to say no croutons on the salad! I'm sure lots of you have found other options. Leave a comment and let us know what you have found to eat for lunch that is gluten-free.

Keep your chin up, out there. Staying positive in the face of having to order weird food at a restaurant or packing your lunch every day is the key to staying strong on your gluten free diet. Together we will conquer lunch! Happy eating!

All Purpose Flour Blend

Well, I've finally found a good GF flour combination I like. It's not necessarily all-purpose, because it can have a somewhat strong flavor in certain applications, but for most things, I really like it. It is Buckwheat and Corn Starch based, along with a few other ingredients. I've found that it makes the best cornbread I have ever eaten in my life, and it also lends a nice whole grain-like flavor to breads. It is not good in delicate flavored pastries, such as sugar cookies. The buckwheat is just too strong for that.

I'll give the corn bread recipe in a post within the next couple of weeks, and I am also baking some awesome cookies right now that I will post within the next day or so :)


GF Flour Combination

Good for breads, hearty cookies, etc.

3 cups Rice Flour (I like brown rice, but you can use white if you want)
4 cups Corn Starch or Tapioca Starch
2 cups Buckwheat
1 cups Masa Harina (Maseca)
1/4 cup Flax Seed (optional)

This makes a large batch of flour mix, so make sure to have a good sized canister with a lid. If you don't use flour mix a lot, you can either make a smaller batch, or keep it in the freezer to prevent it from going rancid.

Econo-what?! Plus A Recipe! or Economy-Shmeshmonomy

Well it's been 6 months since I've posted. This is an abomination in the blogging community, I know!

I take my food very seriously, I consider it to be an outward expression of who I am inside. I share it with those I love to express my feelings to them. I create it to release whatever is in my heart; good, bad, happy, sad. It is how I deal. But what do you do when so much happens all at once that something you once loved feels like an added burden?


Earlier this year, I was secretly thanking my lucky stars that the troubled economy had somehow left us untouched. We both had jobs, we were financially comfortable, we were saving up for and anticipating adopting a child soon. Well, I certainly jinxed us because not too long after this thought, my husband was laid off due to shrinking profits in his company. Everyone tries to convince themselves that their job is vital to their company, that the company can't survive without their position. Unfortunately we were wrong when we thought this. The most difficult part about it was admitting that we could not continue our adoption efforts through it.


I never imagined myself being the primary income provider, but here I am doing it. Not just that, but I was able to pick up an extra job to provide a little more. During all of this, I have found that there isn't much time or desire for cooking and baking, and that makes me really sad. Working takes up so much of my time and effort now, and I have lost some interest in a lot of things I used to love. This can be a sign of either serious devotion (to job and family), or serious depression! I like to think that I am just so devoted, albeit a little depressed :)


Anyhow, we are coming out of the worst of it now. My husband was able to find a new job, and should be starting within the next couple of weeks! We are really excited for it, but I will still have to continue with both of my jobs due to a large pay cut with his new job. We are almost back on track with the adoption, and hopefully things can run smooth as butter! (Don't forget to think of us if you know of a baby in need of 2 awesome parents!...shameless self promotion :P)


Sooo, I hope that I can soon make room in my head and schedule to get some serious cooking done. It will be a smorgasbord of all that has been cooped up inside for the last 6 months! In the meantime, however, I plan on blogging a new recipe once a month. Once I am able to go back to just one job, it will be on like Donkey Kong. For reals.


And I hope this didn't totally bring you down :)


So, ahem, without further ado: A recipe!


Not just any recipe, but my favorite summertime muffin recipe. Not just any muffin! But my Surprise Jamba Muffins! Why are these my favorite? Well aside from tasting freaking awesome and smelling like a Jamba Juice, these puppies bake on the grill. Why is that so awesome? Because it's 90 degrees outside! Who wants to bake in the house? My house is already too hot without an air conditioner!


So get outside, fire up the barbie, and BAKE!




Here is the original post, along with the recipe:



You may wonder why I call these 'Surprise Jamba Muffins'. As you may recall, I have mentioned the dry heat we experience here in Colorado in past posts. As our house does not have air conditioning, or any kind of cooling system, I really hate to turn on the oven if I don't have to. Sometimes though, I really want to bake. I really want eat a tasty home made cookie or muffin. So what should I do? Bake it on the grill, of course! Surprise!


I started off with the idea of following a recipe, but then just ended up throwing random ingredients in. Once the batter was all mixed up, I couldn't get over how much the aroma reminded me of how Jamba Juice smells! I think Jamba Juice has more locations than just Colorado, so at least some of you know what I'm talking about...I hope :) At Jamba Juice, they are always squeezing fresh oranges. Add that smell with all the other fruit smells they have in there, and it smells sooo yummy! Well, my batter smelled just like that to me, so that's also where I get the name.


After baking these off, they taste not so "Jamba-y" and more fruity muffin-ish. They are some of the best muffins I have ever had, and much healthier than most other recipes to boot! I know this will be one of your favorites :)





Surprise Jamba Muffins

1/2 C Agave Nectar
1 C Coconut Oil
1 Egg
1 1/4 C Sylvan Border Farms AP GF Flour (or whatever flour mix you like)
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 Tbsp Flax Seed
pinch of Salt
2/3 C Soy Milk (or any milk you like)
splash of Vanilla
zest of 1 large Orange
1 1/2 C fresh or reconstituted dried Cherries
a couple handfulls of sliced and toasted Almonds


Preheat your gas grill to 350* f (or your oven). It helps if you have a thermometer on your grill lid. Mix all ingredients except the cherries and almonds together, but do not over-mix. Mix until just combined. Gently fold in the cherries. Scoop into muffin tins lined with paper cups, sprinkle the toasted almonds on top and push them in a bit so they stick. Bake on the top rack of your grill, with the lid down, for 15-25 minutes- depending on your altitude. Mine took about 2o minutes.


To test for doneness, bop your finger on the top of a muffin, and if it springs back up, they are done. Or you can stick a toothpick in to see if it comes back out dry. Once out of the grill/oven, remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes.


A really great thing about these is that if you store them in a zip top bag, then they do not dry out for like 4 or 5 days (if they even last that long!). I gave out the muffins to random friends and family, and I got a great response from everyone! Even my glutenous (not the same as gluttonous, silly!) friends thought they were awesome! Success!!!

*Update

The Dr's realized that my mom lost more blood than originally thought, so they gave her another transfusion today. The don't think she is bleeding internally anymore, so that is good. They expect her to be able to come home tomorrow! Yesss!

*Today (1/8/09), I was able to bring my mom home :) So happy! She is super tired, but doing well. She still had a fever this morning, so after some more antibiotics, she was allowed to leave. :) I will be leaving her with some gluten free recipes (for when she is able to stand long enough to cook), and, if she can be diligent in maintaining the diet, we might be able to find out if it increases her iron absorption as well as aiding in her digestion. I am excited to see what happens :)

A Gluten Free Experiment Update

I really appreciate all of the interest and suggestions many of you have had on my experiment with my mom. It really has surprised me how many helpful tips and stories you have left for me. Thank you!!

Let me fill you in really quick on how things are going. The first couple of days I was here (in Utah), my mom cheated a bit. It is to be expected of course, especially when she was brought back some Fettuccine Alfredo from the Olive Garden. Who can resist that? (I can, hehe). She openly acknowledged that she was reluctant to try anything gluten free. She admitted that she doesn't want to like anything different, or anything she isn't used to. I knew that if she would just try the things I make her, that she would like them, and she has. She has liked it all! Even the GF french toast sticks with honey instead of syrup. She was skeptical about the honey, especially because she didn't think I brought her enough to dip in, but was happy to find she liked the taste better than the syrup and she didn't need a lot of it.

Now, I wish that I could say that she has continued on with eating my gluten free food, but I cannot. Since her release from the hospital last Thursday, she has been doing unbelievably well. I cannot believe how little pain she has experienced, and although she was resting a lot, and not moving around a lot, somehow she has now had a major complication. Last night she began to hemorrhage very badly, and we had to transport her to the hospital on an ambulance. She had emergency surgery last night, and we were all worried that she may not make it through. Fortunately, she is blessed to be resting in the hospital tonight, and she is doing much better. We are not out of the woods yet, because she had lost an estimated 2 units (approx 2 pints) of blood last night and had to of course have a transfusion. The Dr is concerned, however, because her hematocrit levels are still low, and she has a fever. If her levels are not back where they should be by morning, they believe she still may be hemorrhaging, and they will have to do an angiogram to determine where she is bleeding from. In this case, she will need yet another surgery.

I don't mean to go into more detail then you may be interested in, but since this record is for me as well, I would like to keep some detail. Because she is now on a diet regulated by the Dr, obviously he has not kept it gluten free. It would be interesting to see how a gluten free diet would help her increase her iron levels that she so desperately needs. My iron levels have significantly increased, and my symptoms of anemia have virtually disappeared because of my diet. I would love to see how it would help her, but in the hospital, that is not realistic, and it would take at least a month, if not more to see results of that. Maybe I can convince her to continue eating gluten free after I leave to see what happens.

As of now, I am scheduled to return home this Saturday, so I will continue to regulate her diet as soon as she is able to come home from the hospital. Depending on what the Dr says, I may end up extending my stay. In the mean time, I will update again, and let you all know how things are going and if she is interested in trying this out for the long term.

I am so grateful that she was blessed with a successful surgery, and a competent surgeon. Hopefully in the future, we can find a way to increase her quality of life, possibly with a gluten free diet, if she chooses to do so :)

Thank you all, again, for your support, stories, and suggestions! It means a lot to me, and my mom loves to read what everyone is saying!

My Mom: A Gluten-Free Experiment

Right now I am in Utah taking care of my mom and grandma after my mom's recent surgery. My mom is caretaker for my grandma, so it is important that someone be here to take care of them. My mom has quite a number of health problems, and I really worry about her eating habits. After my Celiac diagnosis, my mom was tested as well, on my recommendation, with negative results. It confuses me that she has the same symptoms that I had, but was not diagnosed with it. I especially worry because her symptoms are what caused her to need this very invasive surgery in the first place. hmmm.....

After reading a lot of your stories of negative diagnosis, but positive results with the gluten-free diet, I am excited to see what happens after 10 days of feeding my mom (and grandma) gluten free. My grandma still eats her bread, but my mom pretty much eats only what I give her. And since I am the one cooking, she gets what I make :) (My how the tables have turned!) I hope this will help her, and that she will be able to learn how to eat healthier, and to make healthier lifestyle choices.

I'll keep my blog posted for myself and for those of you who might have an interest :)

Wish me luck! (Oh, and my mom is doing pretty well after her surgury!)

Daring Bakers Challenge: French Yule Log Entremet

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

This month was quite a challenge for me. It wasn't hard to make, it just had a ton of steps and took 2 days to make. Generally, I only make this kind of entremet for paying customers. Fortunately, this was an easy challenge to make gluten free. It was also really great that I already had some of the components pre-made from things I had made earlier in the week. I always love that :)

A really nice addition to this challenge was that we were given multiple formulas for each component, so we were able to choose the flavors we wanted to highlight. I chose chocolate and almond :) Love it! So, without further ado, my Buche Du Noel (Yule Log)...






Recipe (quite a doozie!):

1) Dacquoise Biscuit I actually used French Macaroons for this, which are essentially the same thing, since I had already made them.
2) Mousse
3) Ganache Insert I used Ganache that I made earlier.
4) Praline (Crisp) Insert
5) Creme Brulee Insert
6) Icing I used more ganache to enrobe the cake instead of making glaze :)

The assembly will essentially be a Dacquoise Biscuit at the bottom, and the inserts inter-layered with mousse, with an icing finish.

Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn for baking

Equipment: 2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper

Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:
2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp (15g) GF all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner's sugar. (If you have a mixer, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).
7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.
8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.


Element #2 Dark Chocolate Mousse

Preparation time: 20mn

Equipment: stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula.

Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousse and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen, so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brulee insert.
In the Vanilla Mousse variation, pastry cream is made to the same effect.
In the Mango Mousse variation, Italian meringue is made to the same effect. Italian meringue is a simple syrup added to egg whites as they are beaten until stiff. It has the same consistency as Swiss meringue (thick and glossy) which we have used before in challenge recipes as a base for buttercream.

The Whipped Cream option contains no gelatin, so beware of how fast it may melt.
Gelatin is the gelifying agent in all of the following recipes, but if you would like to use agar-agar, here are the equivalencies: 8g powdered gelatin = 1 (0.25 oz) envelope powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin = 1 Tbsp Agar-Agar.
1 Tbsp. of agar-agar flakes is equal to 1 tsp. of agar-agar powder.

Ingredients:
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1 + 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)
2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
2a. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.
2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.
5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
6. Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.


Element #3 Dark Chocolate Ganache Insert

Preparation time: 10mn

Equipment: pan, whisk. If you have plunging mixer (a vertical hand mixer used to make soups and other liquids), it comes in handy.

Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Ingredients:
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3Tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.


Element #4 Praline Feuillete (Crisp) Insert

Preparation time: 10 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)

Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or I use an empty bottle of olive oil).

Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. To our knowledge they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them. Special note: If you use one of the substitutes for the gavottes, you should halve the quantity stated, as in use 1oz of any of these cereals instead of 2.1oz.
If you want to make your own praline, please refer back to the Daring Baker Challenge Recipe from July 2008.

To make 2.1oz / 60g of gavottes (lace crepes - recipe by Ferich Mounia):
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
2/3 Tbsp (8g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup – 2tsp (35g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp / 0.5 oz (15g) beaten egg
1 tsp (3.5g) granulated sugar
½ tsp vegetable oil
1. Heat the milk and butter together until butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
2. Sift flour into milk-butter mixture while beating, add egg and granulated sugar. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Grease a baking sheet and spread batter thinly over it.
4. Bake at 430°F (220°C) for a few minutes until the crepe is golden and crispy. Let cool.


Ingredients for the Praline Feuillete:
3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) butter
2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline
2.1oz (60g) lace crepes(gavottes) or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K I used Rice Chex *celebrates again that Rice Chex are GF*. I also added some homemade hazelnut praline from the July challenge recipe.

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
2. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.
3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.


Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking

Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper

Note: The vanilla crème brulée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.

Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Now...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.


Element #6 Dark Chocolate Icing

Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)

Equipment: Small bowl, small saucepan

Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.
For other gelatin equivalencies or gelatin to agar-agar equivalencies, look at the notes for the mousse component.

Ingredients:
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.


How To Assemble your French Yule Log

Depending on whether your mold is going to hold the assembly upside down until you unmold it or right side up, this order will be different.
THIS IS FOR UNMOLDING FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO RIGHT SIDE UP.
You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.

1) Line your mold or pan, whatever its shape, with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it’s easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR plastic film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you’re using.

You have two choices for Step 2, you can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log as in version A or you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log as in version B:

2A) Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
3A) Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
4A) Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
5A) Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
6A) Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
7A) Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
8A) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
9A) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight eidge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
10A) Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.


THE NEXT DAY...
Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the cake with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc...
Transfer to the refrigerator no longer than ½ hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly depending on the elements you chose.