Praline, Caramel and Speculoos Yule Log

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water to soften.

In a saucepan, melt the 90 g (3.2 oz) of caster sugar over medium heat until a golden caramel forms.

Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla pod.

Lower the heat and pour the hot milk into the caramel, stirring to combine. Continue to heat, stirring, until all the caramel has dissolved into the milk.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 15 g (0.5 oz) of sugar until pale, then add the cornstarch and mix well.

Pour the caramel milk over the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly.

Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.

Off the heat, squeeze out the gelatin sheets, add them to the mixture and stir until dissolved. Add the butter and mix until smooth.

Pour the cremeux into your insert mould (I used a financier tray). Let cool, then freeze overnight.

Melt the butter in the microwave.

Crush the speculoos into fine crumbs and mix with the melted butter.

Spread the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and press it flat, then cut it into a rectangle slightly smaller than the base of your yule log mould.

Set aside in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.

Whip the egg whites to stiff, meringue-like peaks.

Sift the powdered sugar and hazelnut flour together, then gently fold them into the egg whites.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag, cut the tip to a 1 cm (0.4 in) opening, and pipe the dacquoise onto a sheet of parchment paper. I drew a rectangle the size of my mould on the paper beforehand, then flipped it over.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The dacquoise should be dry to the touch and lightly golden.

Let cool on a wire rack.

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water to soften.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale.

In a saucepan, heat the milk with the praliné and bring to a boil.

Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture, then return everything to the saucepan.

Cook like a crème anglaise without boiling, stirring constantly. The custard is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Off the heat, squeeze out the gelatin sheets and stir them into the custard until dissolved. Let cool.

Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and gently fold it into the praliné mixture. Set aside.

Pour three-quarters of the praliné mousse into the yule log mould and spread it up the sides with a spatula for a clean finish. Freeze for 5 minutes if needed so the mousse firms up slightly (to prevent the insert from sinking).

Unmould the frozen caramel cremeux inserts and gently press them into the mousse. Cover with a thin layer of praliné mousse.

Place the speculoos crunch layer on top and cover with another thin layer of mousse.

Finish with the hazelnut dacquoise. Press it down gently to set it in place. Smooth the surface with a spatula.

Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Remove the entremet from the freezer and unmould.

Decorate as you like. Using Swiss meringue, I made little mushrooms and pine trees to decorate the ends of the yule log. See my previous post on the vanilla, caramel and speculoos yule log for details on making the meringue mushrooms. For the meringue pine trees, simply use a “petal” or “Saint-Honoré” piping tip and pipe back-and-forth rows of increasing width to build up the tree shape.

Allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Allow at least 6 to 7 hours of thawing time.