Chocolate, Tonka Bean and Vanilla Yule Log

Rehydrate the gelatine in very cold water.

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and mix with a whisk.

Bring everything to the boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the rehydrated gelatine and blend with an immersion blender.

Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and refrigerate.

Soak the gelatine in very cold water for 10 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave.

Heat the milk and the split and scraped vanilla pod in a saucepan. Leave to infuse, covered, for about 15 minutes.

Bring back to the heat, then pour a third of the milk over the chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then pour a second third, then a third, to obtain a smooth, homogeneous mixture.

Add the cold whipping cream and mix again. Blend for a few seconds with an immersion blender to fully homogenise the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a 20 cm (7.9 in) diameter ring mould lined with cling film, leaving about half a centimetre of space. (I had poured the mixture into an 18 cm (7.1 in) diameter ring right to the brim, about 2 cm (0.8 in) deep, which also matched the height of my cutter. I really struggled to cut out the stars afterwards, so I recommend leaving yourself a little space — it will be much easier later on.) Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface and leave to set in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, then place in the freezer for a few hours.

Once the namelaka is fully frozen, unmould it, remove the cling film and cut out stars using a small star-shaped cutter. (With the namelaka fully frozen, I won’t pretend this was easy. I placed the cutter on the namelaka and used a chopping board placed on top to press down with all my strength. You do need to work quickly as the namelaka must not have time to defrost.) Once all the stars are cut out, stack them on top of each other to create a star-shaped tube (the number of stars needed will depend on the length of your yule log mould). Return to the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.

Melt the butter in the microwave and leave to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar for a good minute.

Add the vanilla seeds (or vanilla extract) and the melted butter, then mix again.

Add the milk and olive oil, then mix.

Sift the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) and add to the previous mixture. Gently mix until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the madeleine sponge batter into a tin with roughly the dimensions of the yule log base (I use a 25×10 cm (3.9 in) tin).

Bake for 18 minutes (it all depends on your oven). The madeleine sponge is done when it is golden and doesn’t stick to the finger.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a rack.

Cut a strip to the dimensions of your yule log mould (for me, 25 cm (9.8 in) long by 8 cm (3.1 in) wide). Ideally, the sponge should be 1 cm (0.4 in) thick (1.5 cm (0.6 in) maximum). If your sponge is thicker, trim it.

Melt a handful of dark chocolate discs (or milk chocolate, as you prefer), then, using a small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate over the madeleine sponge base. This will add a little crunchy touch to the tasting experience.

Refrigerate until assembly.

Rehydrate the gelatine in water.

Heat the milk with half the sugar and the grated tonka bean.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar.

Pour the milk over the egg yolk and sugar mixture, mix well and return everything to a low heat.

Cook until the temperature reaches 83°C / 181°F, stirring constantly with a spatula. Be careful not to let the cream boil.

Off the heat, add the squeezed gelatine, then pour the custard over the chocolate in 3 stages, straining through a fine sieve to remove any lumps. Mix well to create an emulsion. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, whip the whipping cream, but don’t over-whip it — it should be light and mousse-like.

When the custard has cooled to 45°C / 113°F, gently fold in the whipped cream, then set aside.

Pour three-quarters of the chocolate and tonka bean mousse into the yule log mould and spread it up the sides with a spatula for a clean finish. If needed, place in the freezer for 5 minutes to let the mousse set slightly (to prevent the insert from sinking).

Take out the star-shaped vanilla namelaka insert and gently press it into the mousse.

Add the remaining chocolate and tonka bean mousse, making sure to leave a little space.

Finish by placing the madeleine sponge (chocolate side down, against the mousse). Press gently to bring the mousse up, then smooth the surface with a spatula.

Cover with cling film and place in the freezer overnight.

Remove the yule log mould from the freezer and unmould.

Place the frozen yule log on a rack, with the rack set over a plate or dish to catch the excess glaze.

Warm the mirror glaze to approximately 30°C / 86°F, blend once more with an immersion blender taking care not to incorporate air bubbles, then pour carefully to coat the yule log completely.

Remove the yule log from the rack and place on a serving dish.

Decorate as you like. I placed small white chocolate stars to echo the vanilla namelaka insert inside. To do this, I tempered white chocolate, then poured it onto a sheet of acetate. I placed a second sheet of acetate on top and spread the chocolate with a rolling pin. When the chocolate began to set, I used a star-shaped cutter to cut out the shapes. I left them to set overnight.

Allow to defrost in the refrigerator. Allow approximately 6 to 7 hours minimum for defrosting.