Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Caramel and Speculoos Yule Log

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.

Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes.

Once cooled, rub the hazelnuts between your hands to remove the skins.

Push a cocktail stick into each hazelnut.

Make a dry caramel. To do this, heat sugar over medium heat in a saucepan without stirring.

When the caramel is ready, dip each hazelnut into it, then push the cocktail stick into a block of polystyrene placed at height (you need to prop the polystyrene up — I placed a weight on top of it).

If you have caramel left over, you can make various decorations.

Preheat the oven to 100°C / 210°F.

Weigh the egg whites. You will need twice this weight in sugar.

Bring water to the boil in a saucepan.

Pour the egg whites into a mixing bowl and begin whisking with an electric mixer.

Add the sugar gradually and place the bowl over the bain-marie (over the saucepan). Continue whisking — the mixture gains volume, the meringue becomes beautifully white and glossy. Remove the bowl from the bain-marie once the mixture is warm.

Continue whisking until the mixture cools completely. The meringue will become denser.

Place baking paper on an oven tray. To make the mushrooms, you need to pipe two shapes of meringue — the cap and the stem.

For the caps, hold the piping bag vertically 5 mm above the tray and pipe a dome shape. Dust with cocoa powder.

For the stems, hold the piping bag vertically 5 mm above the tray, press the bag while slowly lifting it straight up. Remove the bag, still vertically, to form a peak.

Bake for approximately 2 hours. To test if they are done, gently lift a meringue — if it comes away easily with nothing left on the tray, baking is complete.

To assemble, use the tip of a knife to make a hole in the underside of each cap at the centre. Push a stem into this hole.

If making the meringues the day before, remember to store them in an airtight container.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water to soften.

In a saucepan, heat the sugar until you obtain a caramel.

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

Reduce to a low heat and pour the hot milk into the caramel, stirring to combine. Continue heating until all the caramel has dissolved.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture lightens, then add the cornflour.

Pour the caramel over the yolks while whisking continuously.

Transfer everything back to the saucepan and heat over low heat for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.

Add the drained gelatine then the butter and mix well.

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

Melt the butter in the microwave.

Crush the speculoos into crumbs and add the melted butter.

On a sheet of baking paper, spread and press this mixture flat, then cut it into a rectangle slightly smaller than the yule log mould.

Freeze until needed.

Soak the gelatine leaves in very cold water.

Break the white chocolate into small pieces in a mixing bowl.

Put the cream, split and scraped vanilla pods and grated tonka bean into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.

Remove the vanilla pods, then reheat the cream.

Off the heat, add the well-drained gelatine.

Pour the cream over the white chocolate in three additions. Mix the ganache well to make it smooth. If the white chocolate has not fully melted, place the bowl over a bain-marie.

Cover with cling film pressed to the surface and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.

Vigorously beat the whole egg together with the yolk and dried egg white.

Cut the almond paste into pieces and microwave at full power for one minute to soften it.

Place the almond paste in a small food processor and add the egg mixture little by little until smooth and homogeneous. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks, then add the sugar all at once and continue beating for a few seconds.

Gently fold one third of the egg white into the bowl, then the sifted flour, finishing with the remaining egg white.

Spread the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for approximately 10 minutes (check doneness with the tip of a knife).

Remove from the oven and leave the sponge to cool on a wire rack. It will need to be trimmed once completely cooled.

Whip the ganache like a chantilly cream, then pour three-quarters of it into the yule log mould and use a spatula to push it well up the sides for a clean finish.

Unmould the small frozen cremeux inserts and gently press them into the ganache. Cover with a thin layer of ganache.

Place the speculoos crunch and cover again with a thin layer of ganache.

Finish with the almond sponge. Press down gently to embed it. Smooth the surface with a spatula.

Cover with cling film and freeze overnight.

Remove the yule log from the freezer. Unmould.

Place the frozen log on a cardboard base, then on a serving dish. Leave to defrost in the fridge (allow approximately 4 to 5 hours of defrosting time).

For the decoration, do as you please. I decorated mine with macaron shells, caramelized hazelnuts and little meringue mushrooms. Many thanks to my brother-in-law for taking such lovely photos of my dessert once it was sliced.