Philip Khoury’s pistachio, chocolate and cherry yule log

Method

1. To make the chantilly cream, pour half the soya milk into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. As soon as the milk simmers, pour it over the chocolate and use a stick blender to whizz until smooth. Add the remaining 100g chilled milk (see ‘before you start’) and whizz again until the mixture is glossy and smooth with no oily spots or streaks, scraping down the sides as needed. Cover the surface with a reusable food bag or beeswax wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. To make the ganache, pour half the soya milk into the same pan, add the sugar, then bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then pour over the hot milk. Once again, whizz with a stick blender until smooth, then pour in the 100g chilled milk and whizz again. Cover the surface and leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
3. To make the meringue mushrooms, heat the oven to 100°C/gas ¼ (if possible, don’t use the fan setting as it could collapse the meringues). Pour the aquafaba into a small pan, bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until reduced by half. Pour into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and set aside.
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4. Once cool, use an electric whisk to whip the aquafaba to soft peaks (this will take longer than it would with eggs; about 6-8 minutes). Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping while gradually adding the sugar. Keep whipping until stiff peaks form (the tips don’t flop when you lift out the beaters) and the meringue is glossy. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag.
5. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pipe small domes of the meringue for the mushroom caps and strips for the stalks. Dust the caps and stalk bases with cocoa powder. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until dry to the touch, then turn off the oven and leave to cool inside with the door slightly open.
6. Once cool, use the melted chocolate like glue to stick the caps onto the stalks, then leave to set. Keep in an airtight container until needed.
7. To make the pistachio cream (see ‘don’t waste it’), heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½. Toast the pistachios on a baking tray for 8 minutes. Cool and set aside 60g for the sponge.
8. Put the remaining 200g pistachios, the icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a blender and whizz. At first it will turn to a powder but keep going and the natural oils will start to release. Each time the mixture starts catching on the sides, scrape it down with a spatula and whizz again. Keep whizzing until you have a very smooth nut butter. Transfer half to a bowl or piping bag and set aside (see ‘don’t waste it’).
9. When you’re ready to make the sponge, heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9 and brush a little oil over a large baking sheet, then line with baking paper. The oil will stop the paper moving when you’re spreading the batter.
10. Add the flour, caster sugar, 60g reserved pistachios, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt to a blender or food processor. Whizz until the mixture starts to clump into a fine powder – meaning the nuts have been ground and the natural fats have begun to coat the flour to make a tender sponge.
11. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the warm milk, vanilla extract and cider vinegar. Pour this over the dry ingredients and whisk by hand until just combined. Spread the batter over the lined tray, making sure it forms an even layer. It doesn’t need to fill the tray and you can trim any uneven edges later, but try to get a rough rectangle. Pop it in the oven and bake for just 6 minutes until the sponge springs back when lightly touched. This seems like a short time but it’s key not to overbake or the sponge may crack.
12. Remove the sponge from the oven, then put another sheet of baking paper on top of it, followed by a clean tea towel (this ensures the sponge stays flexible enough to roll). Leave to cool slightly.
13. You’re now ready to assemble your log. Take the chantilly cream out of the  fridge and use an electric mixer to whip to light and fluffy (but stable) peaks.
14. Flip the sponge over and out of the tray, then carefully peel off the baking paper. Flip it back onto a fresh sheet of baking paper to help with rolling. Pipe or spread the pistachio cream over the sponge, leaving a 1cm border along the long edges. Spread the whipped chantilly over the top of the pistachio cream. Arrange the drained cherries in 3 evenly spaced rows.
15. Carefully roll the sponge into a log, starting from a long end. Use the baking paper to help lift and roll the sponge while keeping it tight. Once rolled, turn it seam-side down. Use a dough scraper, if you have one, to create tension in the rolled log and tighten it up a little. Cover with the excess baking paper, then put on a tray or plate and chill for 1 hour to firm up.
16. Unwrap the log and trim both ends to neaten. Cut off roughly a third, then cut this shorter piece in half at an angle (G) You should now have a large log and two smaller logs with diagonal ends. Put the large log on your serving plate, then position the two smaller logs above and next to it with the diagonal cuts against the larger log.
17. Stir the ganache then, using a palette knife or small knife, use a little to secure the smaller logs in place, then spread in rough streaks on the exposed sponge to create a bark-like effect, leaving the cut ends exposed.
18. Dust with icing sugar, then gently secure the meringue mushrooms in the ganache. To finish, dust a few dill sprigs with edible glitter/shimmer spray, if you like, then arrange them on top with the sugary cherries.