Buche de Noel

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Buche de Noel
I hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas. I spent some of Christmas Eve baking the sponge for our Buche, then took some time out Christmas day to come home and finish the marscapone cream and chocolate ganache. This was my first Buche de Noel, and I can honestly say I don't think I need to make another. I used the recipe from Baking Illustrated. It was good, but not totally awe-inspiring. I found the marscapone cream to be not creamy enough. The ganache was delicious, but it was chocolate, so how can you go wrong? The most fun came in the decorating. The pine needles are sprigs of rosemary dipped in egg-wash, and sprinkled with superfine sugar. The mushrooms were made from meringue, then brushed with cocoa powder using a pastry brush. I already have some ideas for next year....