After the starters and main courses, this week I chose to tackle the subject of desserts for the holidays. First of all, the log which is THE dessert of the Christmas menu par excellence but also the tasty and traditional Provençal desserts.
Whether pastry or ice cream, the log remains the essential dessert for our end-of-year celebrations. But on the online side, what should we think about it and what are the possible alternatives? It’s Christmas, I have presents for you!
Christmas menu classic: the log
The traditional pastry log is composed of a sponge cake and a praline buttercream. Sugar, butter and hazelnuts make it a real calorie bomb with around 670 Kcal per slice!
And regarding the ingredients, if you buy it in the supermarket you will see a list of ingredientsemulsifiers, 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, chocolate, nougat ice cream, etc. often decorated with chestnut cream or chocolate frosting (around 350 Kcal per slice) and those made from sorbet – only fruit and sugar – (around 140 Kcal per slice).
All additions, like here chestnut creamstrongly weigh down the calorie balance. The difference between these 2 types of logs can reach 200 kcal per slice…
Then choose a light garnish based on fruit compote and a light chocolate topping without adding butter or a simple icing, you will make your task easier by choosing one shortest ingredient list possible.
To preserve your figure, you choose according to your tastes. If you are a fan of pastry logso prepare it yourself in its “light” version : lighten the biscuit by replacing part of the flour with cornstarch to reduce the quantities and by 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 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 intakes during the meal. Limit yourself to a glass of alcohol, wine or champagne. Do not consume no breadlimit the sauce on the side and do not refill.
And don’t forget that a basket of exotic fruits is as decorative as it is pleasant to offer at the end of a meal.
Pleasure and moderation
Next to the logs, the Provençal desserts are part of the tradition. They are thirteen in number like the number of guests at the Last Supper (meal that Jesus took with the 12 apostles).
We find there the fougasse or oil pumpmade from flour, olive oil, orange blossom water and brown sugar, a real calorie bomb, to be avoided! Around you will find oilseeds: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, rich in lipids of good quality, but to be limited because 15 g of these seeds provide the equivalent of 2 Tbsp of oil.
Next, the dried fruits and candied fruits : figs, grapes, dates and citrons. These products are rich in sugars, B group vitamins and provide 3 times more calories and minerals that fresh fruit.
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 cause the calorie counters to explode, would be to favor 1 small fresh fruit for example 1 clementine, rich in water, fiber and vitamin C, and for fun 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?
