I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, even if this year the festivities had a slightly bitter taste. Personally, the family wasn’t all together. Roll on next year to celebrate Christmas properly. New Year’s Eve won’t be much better, as we had to cancel our little festive meal because of government measures. But we’re not letting it get us down — we’ll celebrate the new year with 2 neighbours and we’ll see our friends on 2 January.
My desserts are already made and waiting patiently in the freezer. In the meantime, I’m sharing with you one last Yule log recipe, also made last year: a pear and caramelised chocolate Yule log (better known as Caramelia from Valrhona). It’s an indulgent, smooth milk chocolate combined with the power of salted butter caramel.
For this recipe, I took my inspiration from the madeleine sponge recipe by Les pâtisseries d’aurélien. As for the Caramelia mousse, it’s a Valrhona recipe, so a safe bet. The freshness of the pear goes really well with the indulgence of the milk chocolate with its caramel notes. You still have a few days to prepare this dessert, and that’s the advantage of entremets: you can start making it now and keep it in the freezer until the big day.
I wish you a very happy New Year’s Eve. Hoping that 2021 will be much better than 2020…
Ingredients & method
7 components · Full recipe
Pear compote (to make the day before)
Ingredients
- 80 g (2.8 oz) pear purée
- 7 g (0.2 oz) glucose
- 15 g (0.5 oz) sugar
- 3 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
- 80 g (2.8 oz) fresh pear
- 3 g (0.1 oz) pear liqueur (optional)
- 2 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine
- 12 g (0.4 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
- 1 vanilla pod
- a little lemon juice
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
2
Cut the pears into brunoise.
3
Heat the pear purée, vanilla pod seeds (keep the scraped pod for the next day) and glucose until 40°C / 104°F.
4
Add the sugar/pectin mixture and whisk well. Bring to the boil and cook for 1–2 minutes.
5
Off the heat, add the pear brunoise, rehydrated gelatine, a little lemon juice and the pear liqueur if using.
Vanilla syrup
Ingredients
- 90 g (3.2 oz) sugar
- 75 g (2.6 oz) water
- 1 dried vanilla pod (from the pear compote recipe)
Method
1
Bring the water to the boil with the sugar and the dried vanilla pod you saved.
Vanilla sponge
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) whole eggs
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar
- 12 g (0.4 oz) honey
- 24 g (0.8 oz) milk
- 80 g (2.8 oz) brown butter*
- 80 g (2.8 oz) flour
- 3.5 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
- 0.3 g (0 oz) vanilla powder
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
2
Make a brown butter by melting the butter in a saucepan until it takes on a golden colour and a nutty aroma. Set aside.
3
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar vigorously for 20 seconds.
4
Add the honey and mix. Add the flour sifted with the baking powder and vanilla powder. Mix again.
5
Pour in the milk and mix, then finish by incorporating the slightly cooled brown butter.
6
Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to a thickness of 1.5 cm (0.6 in).
7
Bake for about 12 minutes at 170°C / 340°F.
8
Let the sponge cool on a wire rack, then cut out a rectangle slightly smaller than the base of your yule log mould.
Caramelia praline crunch
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.4 oz) hazelnut praline (recipe)
- 30 g (1.1 oz) Valrhona Caramelia chocolate
- 25 g (0.9 oz) feuilletine
Method
1
Melt the chocolate in the microwave.
2
Add the hazelnut praline and mix with a spatula.
3
Add the crushed feuilletine. Mix again.
Caramelia mousse (Valrhona recipe)
Ingredients
- 90 g (3.2 oz) milk
- 120 g (4.2 oz) Valrhona Caramelia 36% chocolate
- 170 g (6 oz) heavy cream
- 2 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine
- 12 g (0.4 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
2
Make a ganache: melt the chocolate in a double boiler until just starting to melt.
3
Heat the milk, then off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatine.
4
Pour the milk in 3 additions over the chocolate, emulsifying each time. The chocolate should be smooth and glossy.
5
Whip the heavy cream until soft and airy — do not over-whip.
Assembly of the pear and Caramelia chocolate yule log
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place a sheet of guitar paper in the yule log mould (unnecessary if using a silicone mould).
2
Pour three-quarters of the Caramelia mousse and spread it up the sides for a clean finish. If the mousse is too liquid, place the mould in the freezer for 5–10 minutes. Press the insert gently into the mousse, centring it.
3
Cover with another layer of mousse (leaving about 1 cm (0.4 in)).
4
Finish with the sponge/crunch base (sponge side facing out). Press lightly and smooth the surface with a spatula.
Decoration
Ingredients
- brown velvet spray
- diced pear
Method
1
Either you’ve invested in a paint spray gun, or use ready-made velvet sprays. Either way, there are a few rules to follow if you don’t want to redecorate your kitchen!
2
Remove the entremet from the freezer, unmould it and place it on a wire rack. Protect your work surface with cardboard or parchment paper. Spray a thin layer from a distance of 30–40 cm (15.7 in).
Gallery
