Recipe inspired by Pierre Hermé’s  Meringue d’Automne and Mary’s Berry’s meringue roulade.

Busy: 1 hour, Total prep time: 1H30 min (plus 3 hours setting time.)

Serves: about 8

Start with the pears:

Squeeze the lemon juice in a large saucepan. Mix with 200g sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 liter of water.

Wash, peel and quarter the pears. Remove the core and cut into thin slices (2-3 mm at the thick end). Place the slices into the saucepan as you are cutting them to prevent them from browning.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the pears cool down in the water.

Prepare the meringue:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Put the egg whites in a large, grease-free bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk on medium-low speed until the whites turn into a grey foamy liquid, then slowly increase the speed. This will maximise the amount of air bubbles trapped in the whites and allow them to gain more volume. Beat at full speed until reaching stiff peaks (until the whites stand up in stiff, upward pointing peaks). Start whisking in the sugar, little by little, and keep whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. The meringue should not move when you turn the bowl upside down.

Spread the meringue on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, and shape it into a rectangle of roughly 40x30 cm, making sure the meringue is evenly spread and not thicker than 1/2 inch (less than 1.5 cms).

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the surface of the meringue is lightly golden and crisp and firm to the touch, but the inside is still soft. When ready, take the tray out of the oven and let the meringue cool down completely on the tray.

Prepare the chocolate mousse:

Cut the chocolate and butter into chunks and toss in a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Melt the mixture in 3 to 4 30 sec microwave sessions, mixing well between each to even out the temperature.

Allow the mixture to cool down to warm temperature and stir in the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks using the same process as for the meringue, adding the small amount of sugar at the very end.

Gently stir a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining whites using a soft spatula (or a wooden spoon if you don’t have a spatula).

Allow the mousse to set and thicken a little at room temperature, for 20 minutes or so, before spreading it on the bûche.

Make the bûche:

Drain the pears well in a colander. They should be at room temperature, soft and pliable.

Place the tray with the meringue on it so that it looks like a vertical portrait when you look at it.

Cover the meringue liberally with the chocolate mousse, leaving 2 cms clear along the short two edges. Expect to get leftover mousse.

Line the pears tightly on the mousse, their length parallel to the longer side of the rectangle. You should have just enough to cover the entire surface. With your hands,  press the pears gently into the mousse

Using the greaseproof paper under the meringue, lift the far end of the meringue and fold it towards the centre of the rectangle (it should fold towards you). Don’t worry if a few pears fall in the process. Gently peel the paper off the folded side of the meringue (don’t tear it) and let it rest back on the tray.

Now fold the end near you over the part you just folded, using the greaseproof paper. Do this slowly and without stressing the meringue otherwise it may tear. If it does, don’t worry. The next few steps will allow it to set beautifully.

Gently peel the paper off the top part, going as as far down as you can.

Lift back the two paper ends and join them on top of the meringue. Clip, staple or tape them together so that they hold the bûche in a nice cylinder shape.

Transfer to the fridge and set for at least 3 hours or overnight. The paper will allow the bûche to set into a nice, regular shape. If the meringue tore a bit when folding it won’t matter, the mousse will set in the cracks.

Just before serving,  unclip the paper and drizzle the bûche generously with icing sugar. Transfer it carefully onto a serving platter and decorate it according to your taste. I made a line of cocoa powder stars on top using a homemade paper cut out.