After the starters and the main courses, this week I decided to tackle the subject of holiday desserts. First of all, the log which is THE dessert of the Christmas menu par excellence, but also the traditional Provençal desserts.
Whether pastry or iced, the yule log remains the essential dessert of our end-of-year celebrations. But on the line side, what should we think about it and what are the possible alternatives? It’s Christmas, I have gifts for you!
Classic of the Christmas menu: the log
The traditional pastry log is composed of a sponge cake and a praline buttercream. Sugar, butter and hazelnuts make it real calorie bomb with about 670 Kcal per slice!
And as for the ingredients, if you buy it in the supermarket, you will see a list of ingredients, emulsifiers, flavors and colorings endless. Their composition is really complicated, prefer your baker’s log, but it is a little higher budget.
As for frozen logs, there are two types: those with vanilla ice cream, chocolate, nougat etc. often decorated with chestnut cream or chocolate icing (around 350 Kcal per slice) and those based on sorbet – only fruit and sugar – (around 140 Kcal per slice).
All additions, like here the Chestnut cream, greatly reduce the caloric balance. The difference between these 2 types of logs can reach 200 kcal per slice …
Then choose a light garnish made from fruit compote and a light chocolate coating without adding butter or a simple icing, you will make your job easier by choosing a shortest possible ingredient list.
To preserve your silhouette, you choose according to your tastes. If you are a fan of pastry log, so prepare it yourself in its “light” version : lighten the cookie by replacing part of the flour with cornstarch to reduce the quantities and removing part of the sugar with a sweetener which tolerates cooking which will provide the sweet taste without the calories.
If you prefer the effect of the cold at the end of a meal, select a sorbet-based log rather than ice cream.
If the classic log cannot be avoided, it will then be necessary to limit certain contributions during the meal. Limit yourself to a glass of alcohol, wine or champagne. Do not consume no bread, limit the sauce on the side and do not refill.
And don’t forget that an exotic fruit basket is as decorative as it is pleasant to offer at the end of a meal.
Pleasure and moderation
Beside the logs, the Provencal desserts are part of the tradition. They are thirteen in number like the number of guests during the Last Supper (meal that Jesus took with the 12 apostles).
We find there the fougasse or oil pump, made from fine flour, olive oil, orange blossom water and brown sugar, a real calorie bomb, to be avoided! Around you will find oil seeds: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, rich in lipids of good quality, but to be limited because 15 g of these seeds provide the equivalent of 2 tsp of oil.
Then, the dried fruits and candied fruits : figs, grapes, dates and citron. These products are rich in sugars, B vitamins and provide 3 times more calories and minerals that fresh fruits.
You will also find nougat black and white nougat: a concentrate of honey, almonds and sugar! Finally, seasonal fruits: apples, pears, oranges, clementines …
In conclusion for this Christmas menu dessert, the watchword is ” pleasure and moderation ”. The best option, knowing that each step of these meals can explode the calorie counters, would be to privilege 1 small fresh fruit for example 1 clementine, rich in water, fiber and vitamins C, and for pleasure complete with 2 or 3 seeds and 2 dried fruits OR 1 piece of nougat.
What will be your dessert for these end of year celebrations?