Yule logs and trifles: Jeremy Lee’s 12 puddings of Christmas part 4

10 Bûche de Noël yule log (main picture)

This really is better made at home. And it’s useful to have a sugar thermometer when making it.

Serves 14-16
For the chocolate icing
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
120g unsalted butter
150ml double cream

For the roulade 
400g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
480ml double cream
Half a vanilla pod, seeds scraped
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
9 egg whites
2 tbsp caster sugar

For the filling
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
5 tbsp water
6 egg yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar
325g unsalted butter, softened
Jersey or whipped cream, to serve

1 To make the icing, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Put the chocolate and butter together in a bowl and put it over the pan making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Reduce to a simmer, and let the chocolate and butter melt, whisking often. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the double cream and cover with clingfilm. Stab the film a few times with a knife to let out any residual warmth. Leave to one side.

3 To make the roulade, break the chocolate into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed pan until hot, and stir in the vanilla seeds and the cinnamon. Pour the cream on to the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool.2 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and line a large oven tray with baking parchment.

4 Put the egg whites in a bowl, add the caster sugar and beat until peaked. Add the egg whites to the chocolate in three stages, each time mixing well. Tip the batter on to the baking parchment and spread it out. Bake for 10 minutes or so until a knife inserted comes out clean.

5 For the filling, put a pan of water on to boil. Put the chocolate and 2 tbsp water into a bowl, set it over the pan making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Lower the heat to a simmer. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

6 Put the sugar and 3 tbsp water into a pan over a medium heat. Swirl the pan allowing the sugar to dissolve. Let it boil for 4-5 minutes until just before becoming caramel – or when it reaches 236C/455F, if using a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat.

7 Whisk the egg yolks on a low speed, gently adding the syrup until the mixture cools. Add a slice of butter at a time, beating thoroughly all the while. Carry on beating until thickened and smooth. Stir in the cooled chocolate and put to one side.

8 To assemble, carefully lift the cake with the baking parchment to a flat surface. Spread the filling evenly over the cake. Using the paper, roll the cake, pulling away the paper as you go until the roll is complete and the paper can be lifted away entirely. Lift the cake with great care on to a serving plate. Don’t worry about cracks.

9 Apply the icing in uneven markings evoking bark … rough and ready. If you’re inclined, add a little tree and a little festive figurine on top.

11 A winter’s poached fruit salad

The resulting syrup from this salad is good chilled and added to champagne for a rather cavalier version of a pousse rapière. It is worth making a day or two in advance to allow all the flavours to mingle.

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 Mingling flavours … Jeremy Lee’s winter poached fruit salad. Photograph: Jonathan West for the Guardian

Serves 6
1 lemon
6 pears
200ml white wine
200g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
A blade of mace
12 plump agen prunes, stones in
12 dried apricots, unsulphurised
12 dried figs
Jersey cream or Greek yoghurt, to serve

2 Put 30ml water and the wine, sugar, vanilla pod, bay, peppercorns and mace into a pan. Bring to a boil on a high heat. Add the pears, lemon juice and peel.1 Peel strips off the lemon as for a martini, then squeeze the juice into a bowl. Peel the pears and toss them in the lemon juice.

3 Cut a disc of baking parchment to fit the pot and lay on the surface to ensure the pears are submerged. A plate on top might help. Lower the heat to a simmer and poach the pears gently until quite cooked through. The time will depend on the ripeness of the pears and may take 30-50 minutes. The pears are done when a knife inserted is given no resistance from the pears.

4 Add the prunes, apricots and figs, bring back to the boil for 30 seconds then remove the pan from the heat and let the fruit steep while it cools.

5 Once cooled, gently remove the poached fruits to a serving bowl and pour over the syrup unstrained.

6 Store in a cool place until ready to serve with cream or Greek yoghurt.

12 Chocolate trifle

In homage to Antonio Carluccio, the author of this impressive pick-me-up.

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 Pick-me-up … Jeremy Lee’s chocolate trifle. Photograph: Jonathan West for the Guardian

Serves 12-15
For the cake
90g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
2 tbsp espresso coffee
60g unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs, separated
50g plus 1 tbsp caster sugar
A pinch of salt
50g plain flour, sifted

To assembleFor the cream
2 eggs, separated
50g plus 1 tsp caster sugar
400g mascarpone
80ml double cream

400ml espresso coffee
4 tbsp cognac
Bitter cocoa powder
125g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.

2 Set a pan of water to boil. Break the chocolate into a bowl and add the coffee. Sit the bowl on the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Lower to a simmer and melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat. Beat in the butter a little at a time until smooth.

3 Put the egg yolks in a bowl with the 50g sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

4 Put the egg whites in another bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat until peaked. Add the 1 tbsp sugar and return the whites to a peak.

5 Mix together the egg yolk and the chocolate mixtures. Spoon a third of the egg whites into the chocolate and mix lightly but well. Fold in another third of the egg white, add half the flour and mix. Add the remaining egg white and flour and mix thoroughly.

6 Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

7 Meanwhile, make the cream. Beat the egg yolks and the 50g sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the mascarpone a spoon at a time until smooth. Stir in the cream. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until peaked, add the 1 tsp of sugar, then fold this into the cream.

8 To assemble, cover the bottom of a trifle bowl with slices of the chocolate cake. Spoon over the coffee then the cognac. Dust with a little sifted cocoa powder. Strew with the broken chocolate. Tip in the cream and smooth the surface. Dust with more cocoa. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When serving, the trifle may need an extra flourish of freshly sifted cocoa.