Buche de Noel

It was one of Paul’s large chocolate and cherry cakes, which contained a chocolate filling that Dale had no word for but was rich, thick, mixed with the black cherry sauce and was just tart enough to set off the sweetness of the chocolate. They never had much of a shelf life in the house, Paul was generally lucky if one survived twenty four hours after he made it. Flynn handed Dale a knife and dug in the fridge until he came up with a dish of whipped cream. Dale cut a large slice, put it on a plate and dug out a couple of forks, and Flynn spooned a large dollop of whipped cream onto the plate. Paul was an old fashioned man who appreciated proper ingredients; no whipped cream cans made it into the house, this was thick, proper hand whipped cream that reminded Dale of the clotted cream he’d had and loved on scones as a child.

~ The Brig

This is the Christmas variation of Paul's Cherry Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Flourless Chocolate Cake*
6 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar, 6 egg yolks
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash Salt
Confectioners’ sugar

Black Cherry Sauce
3 pounds fresh, pitted cherries or frozen black cherries
¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup water
½ lemon, juiced
¼ cup cherry juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 teaspoon Amaretto liqueur

Meringue Mushrooms
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Whipped Cream Filling*
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note
You may want to double the whipped cream to have some to serve on the side

Ganache Topping
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

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Directions

Black Cherry Sauce

1. Remove pits and stems from 2 pounds of cherries and place in a small sauce pan (you may use frozen cherries for this step). Add water and sprinkle with sugar. Bring the cherries to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. 
2. Place a fine sieve over a mixing bowl. Scoop the cherries into the sieve a little at a time and press the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon to release the juice and pulp into the bowl. Scrape the skins out of the sieve and repeat until all of the cherries have been juiced. 
3. Return the juice to the sauce pan over medium heat and stir in the lemon juice. Combine the bottled cherry juice with the cornstarch to make a slurry and stir until there are no lumps. Slowly pour the slurry into the sauce pan while whisking. 
4. Gently simmer until the cherry juice reaches the desired thickness. It will become thicker as it cools. 
5. Just before removing the sauce from the heat, add the remaining one pound of pitted cherries and fold into the sauce. Allow the sauce to return to a boil and immediately remove from the heat. The cherries should retain a firm texture. 
6. Add the Amaretto Liqueur (and vanilla if you choose) after removing the sauce from the heat or it will have a bitter taste.
7. Let the sauce cool and pour into a jar. Keep refrigerated for up to one week. 

Meringue Mushrooms

1. Heat oven to 200°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt in bowl of stand mixer on high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Beat in sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition, and continue to beat at high speed until meringue is very stiff, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and beat again until very stiff. 
3. Sift cocoa over meringue, and fold it in gently but thoroughly. 
4. Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with tip. Holding bag vertically, about 1/2 inch above baking sheet, pipe meringue into 25 mounds, ranging in size from about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, to resemble mushroom caps. 
5. Still holding pastry bag vertically, pipe remaining meringue vertically into 25 "stems," 1 1/4- to 1 1/2 -inch-long lengths (make different lengths), making each base about 1 inch in diameter and tapering top end by pulling up on bag. (Pipe extra caps and stems with any remaining meringue in case of breakage.) 
6. With a finger dipped in water, gently tamp down any peaks of meringue on caps to make a smooth mushroom cap. 
7. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until mushrooms caps are crisp and firm to touch, about 1 hour 45 minutes. 
8. Turn off oven, then leave meringues in oven, with door closed, 30 minutes to dry. Slide parchment with meringues from baking sheets onto racks to cool. Cool completely. 
9. With tip of a sharp paring knife, cut a small hollow the diameter of the tapered top of mushroom "stem" in center of the underside (flat side) of each mushroom cap. 
10. Spread chocolate generously over flat bottom of a cap with offset spatula or back of spoon, then insert narrow end of stem. Let cap rest, stem end up, on a tray or baking sheet. Attach remaining stems to remaining caps, and let stand, stem ends up, at cool room temperature until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. 

Cooks' notes: 

1. To melt chocolate, melt finely chopped chocolate in a dry metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
2. Meringue mushrooms can be made 1 day ahead and kept between sheets of wax paper in airtight cookie tins.
3. Good luck if your family leave any to actually make it on the cake.  I have to hide them from Jasper and Riley. 

Flourless Chocolate Cake

1. Grease bottom of a 15 1/2 - by – 10 1/2 - by – 1 inch jelly-roll pan; line with waxed paper; grease lightly. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large electric-mixer bowl, at high speed, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form when the beater is slowly raised. 
2. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. With same beaters, beat yolks at high speed, adding remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat until mixture is very thick—about 4 minutes. 
3. At low speed, beat in cocoa, vanilla, and salt, just until smooth. With wire whisk or rubber scraper, using an under-and-over motion, gently fold the cocoa mixture into the beaten egg whites, just until they are blended (no egg white should show). 
4. Spread evenly into a pan. Bake 15 minutes, just until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Sift confectioners’ sugar, in a 15-by-10-inch rectangle, on clean linen towel. Turn cake out on sugar; lift off pan; peel paper off cake. 
5. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, starting with the short end, towel and all. Cool completely on rack, seam side down—at least 1/2 hour. 

Whipped Cream Filling

1. To make the filling: Combine ingredients in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer until thick, and then refrigerate. 

Chocolate Ganache

1. Cook the chocolate chips and heavy cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. 

Buche de Noel*

1. Unroll cake; spread with Black Cherry Sauce to 1 inch from edge 
2. Spread with Whipped Cream Filling to 1 inch from edge; re-roll. Place, seam side down, on plate. 
3. Pour and gently spread the Ganache over the top, but not the ends of the roll 
4. Add Meringue Mushrooms 
5. Slice and serve! 
6. Serve with additional Black Cherry sauce and Whipped Cream on the side (optional)

• *The Overall Buche de Noel, Flourless Chocolate Cake and Whipped Cream Filling recipes come from Mike, a member of the Yahoo Falls Chance Discussion Group
• The Black Cherry Sauce is from http://www.everydaysouthwest.com/
• The Meringue Mushrooms came from http://www.epicurious.com/
• The Chocolate Ganache recipe comes from http://www.foodnetwork.com/