THE FESTIVAL CARNET
Italian Meringue Buttercream for Yule Logs
A vanilla cream based on pasteurized whites, cooked syrup and soft butter, with the temperatures explained.
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This butter cream requires a thermometer and a stand mixer, as the warm syrup must be poured while the whites spin. Prepare everything before you start and release the worktop. It is not a recipe to improvise with a child who holds the bowl.
The meringue must cool before adding the butter: if it is hot, the butter melts; if the butter is too cold, the cream becomes lumpy. The quantity allows to garnish or cover a small log of 25 cm, but not to realize several thick floors.
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The preparation step by step
Soften the butter
Cut 180 g of butter into cubes and let it reach 20-22 °C. It must be easily crushed under the finger, without being shiny or melted.
Prepare the Whites
Pour 60 g of pasteurized whites into the mixer’s clean and dry vat. Check on their packaging that they are suitable for profusion; keep the whisk installed and ready.
Measure the syrup
Pour 35 g of water and then 120 g of sugar into the pan. Mix before heating to moisten all the sugar, then prepare the probe without it touching the bottom.
Cook the sugar
Heat the syrup over medium heat. When boiling, avoid stirring with a spoon. Monitor the temperature without leaving the pan.
Whisk the egg whites
When the syrup approaches 110 °C, begin to whisk the whites at medium speed to obtain a soft foam. They should not be dry when the syrup is ready.
Reaches 121 °C
Remove the pan as soon as the syrup reaches 121 °C. Hold it firmly by the handle, keep your hands away from sugar and never taste the warm syrup.
Net Verse
Slow down the beater and pour the syrup in thin fill against the inner wall of the bowl, away from the whisk threads. Do not pour directly on the rotating whisk, which would spray the sugar.
Cool the meringue
Increase at medium speed and whips until the meringue is shiny and the tank barely warm, around 25-28 °C. Count several minutes; do not rely only on the stopwatch.
Add the butter
Fold in the diced butter little by little at medium speed. Wait for each serving to mix before the next. Continue for a few minutes until you get a smooth, satiny cream.
Perfumes and uses
Add the vanilla extract, mix briefly and then pass a maryse in the cream to chase away the big bubbles. Spread on a cold biscuit; refrigerates the dessert after assembly.
Conservation. Store the covered cream in the refrigerator and use it within 48 hours. To spread it, let it soften briefly and then whip it at low speed; respect the preservation of the wood trimmed.
Recipe proposal with quantities and step by step. Times vary depending on the material: follow also the markers of texture and cooking.
The benchmarks for success
Respect the temperatures
Cool meringue and soft butter should get closer in temperature. Adding cold butter to an ice cream meringue results in an irregular cream.
Hot sugar
Prepare the bowl and beater before cooking. Do not move an unstable bowl while holding the pan.
Questions Before You Start
Does this recipe completely cook raw whites?
The hot syrup does not guarantee a homogeneous temperature of all whites. The formula provides suitable pasteurized whites.
Can I use a simple hand whisk?
This technique requires pouring and whipping simultaneously. A stand mixer with a stable bowl makes it easy to control the syrup.
Why does the cream look sliced?
Temperatures can be too different. Let the mixture come back to a soft temperature and whisk gently; do not pour melted butter to mask the problem.
Baking tips for this recipe
- Use a clean bowl and whisks, without a trace of fat, to whisk the whites.
- Follow the order of sugar addition and step-by-step temperatures: they depend on the preparation.
- Stop whipping to the texture described in the recipe; do not add any cooking or drying that is not provided for in the steps.
Substitutions and variations
To replace a main ingredient, choose another sheet designed with the one you want to use. Changing the proportions of fat, sugar or liquid can change the hold of the dessert.
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