Chestnut spread, melted chocolate and crushed biscuits, rolled in cling film and forgotten overnight in the fridge: the simplest Christmas log, and still very elegant.
It's the Christmas cousin of chocolate salami: a dense, melting mix of chocolate and sweet chestnut spread, studded with biscuit pieces, rolled into a log and left to set in the cold. No sponge to bake, no cream to whip, nothing that can go wrong.
What makes the difference is the chocolate temperature (lukewarm, never hot, or the butter separates), biscuits left in real chunks for crunch, and a good night in the fridge. Kids can do everything except melt the chocolate.
Chop the chocolate and dice the butter. Put them in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Stir gently until everything is melted and smooth, then remove the bowl straight away. Let it cool for 5 minutes: it should feel lukewarm on your finger (around 40 °C / 104 °F).
Add the chestnut spread in three goes, mixing well with the spatula after each, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add the salt.
Put the biscuits in a freezer bag and bash them with the rolling pin: you want a mix of crumbs and pieces of about 1 cm. Stir them into the mixture. If it's still too soft to hold its shape, chill it for 15 minutes.
Lay out a large sheet of cling film (about 50 cm). Spoon the mixture into the middle in a long 25 cm pile. Fold the film over and roll the whole thing on the counter into an even log 6 to 7 cm across. Twist both ends of the film in opposite directions, like a candy wrapper, to tighten.
Put the log in the fridge for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, lying flat. It should feel firm under your finger.
Take the log out 10 minutes before decorating, unwrap it and set it on the serving plate. Draw lines along its whole length with a fork, for the bark. Dust with cocoa through the small sieve, then a veil of powdered sugar for snow. Cut both ends at an angle and add the candied chestnuts, halved.
Cut 1.5 cm slices with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped. It's very rich: one thin slice each is plenty, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream.
Check off every step to celebrate.
It keeps for 5 days in the fridge, well wrapped in its film: it's the log to make two or three days ahead. It also freezes for 2 months, undecorated; thaw it overnight in the fridge and decorate it on the day.
It hasn't chilled long enough, or the chocolate was too hot. Put it in the freezer for 1 hour before slicing: it will hold. Next time, chill the mixture for 15 minutes before rolling it.
Sweetened vanilla chestnut spread, in a can or tube, not plain unsweetened chestnut purée: that would make a bland, heavy log.
Yes: swap the butter biscuits for the same weight of gluten-free biscuits, and check the labels on the chestnut spread and chocolate.
Add this recipe to your meal, then come back for appetizers, a drink, cookies with coffee: Popotam brings them together, with the shopping for your whole table and the timeline up to dessert. Free, no account.
