Blond Chocolate, Hazelnut & Passion Fruit Christmas Yule Log

To prepare this Blond Chocolate, Hazelnut & Passion Fruit Christmas Yule Log recipe, start by gathering all the ingredients for the almond shortcrust pastry.

Almond shortcrust pastry: Place the softened butter into the stand mixer bowl.

Add the almond powder...

...and the icing sugar.

Mix all these ingredients together using the paddle attachment.

When the mixture is smooth...

...add the egg yolks while continuing to mix.

Also add the flour...

...along with the baking powder and fine salt.

Knead everything together until you have a smooth almond shortcrust pastry.

Place the dough on the work surface using a scraper...

...and knead it quickly until all dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The exact technique involves pressing the dough with the palm of your hand on the work surface, piece by piece.

Once the almond rich shortcrust dough is perfectly smooth, place it on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap...

...and cover it with a second sheet of plastic wrap.

Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand to create a thinner layer for optimal cooling.

Place the almond rich shortcrust pastry in the fridge until ready to use.

Hazelnut Duja: Prepare all the ingredients.

Spread the whole shelled hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Place the tray in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 160°C, and roast the hazelnuts for 15 minutes.

Once roasted, remove the tray from the oven...

...and place the hot hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor.

Add the caster sugar...

...and grind finely...

...until you get a very fine powder.

Transfer this powder to a mixing bowl...

...and add the melted white chocolate, previously heated in the microwave in 20 to 30-second intervals, making sure to stir every time.

Also add the melted (but cooled) butter, pailleté feuilletine flakes, and fine salt...

...and mix all these elements with a spatula. Set aside.

Blond chocolate crémeux (make the day before): Prepare the ingredients. Mix the powdered gelatin with the hydration water (tap or mineral water) and let it hydrate for 15 minutes.

Melt the Dulcey blond chocolate in the microwave, as we did earlier...

...stirring between each interval, until it is fully melted.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it...

...bringing it to a boil.

Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and add the hydrated gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is fully dissolved.

Then pour the boiling milk over the melted blond chocolate, stirring in the centre of the mixture with a spatula to gradually incorporate the milk into the chocolate...

...until the mixture is smooth.

Blend the mixture using a Bamix hand blender to achieve a smooth and homogeneous blend.

Add the cold whipping cream while continuing to blend.

Cover the Dulcey crémeux with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to set.

Passionfruit crémeux: Prepare all the ingredients.

Pour the caster sugar into a mixing bowl.

Add the flour...

...and whisk together.

Add the whole eggs...

...as well as the egg yolk...

...and whisk vigorously until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture.

Heat the passion fruit purée in a saucepan. Split half a vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the tip of a knife. Add the split pod and the seeds to the passion fruit purée. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, pour the hot passion fruit purée over the egg, sugar, and flour mixture, while whisking continuously.

Then pour everything back into the saucepan used to heat up the purée...

...and cook over moderate heat, similar to making pastry cream, stirring with a spatula or whisk until the cream thickens.

The thickening will be light, as the cream contains very little flour.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the cream cool down to 50°C.

When it reaches this temperature, incorporate the butter cut into pieces, stirring carefully with a spatula.

Finish by blending the mixture with the hand blender...

...until the passion fruit crémeux is smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the crémeux into the yule log insert mold...

...and smooth the surface with an offset spatula.

Place a spatula in the second cavity of the mold to prevent it from tipping over due to the weight of the crémeux, and cover with plastic wrap.

Place the mold in the freezer. This preparation can be made several days in advance.

Take 200 grams of almond shortcrust pastry and roll it out lengthwise between two sheets of parchment paper.

You can use leveling sticks to achieve an even thickness of 3mm.

This is what the result should look like.

Slide a baking sheet under the parchment paper and dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.

Once the dough is chilled, remove the tray it from the fridge, peel off the top sheet of parchment paper, and reposition it on the dough.

Flip everything over...

...and remove the second sheet of parchment paper.

Make a first cut using a graduated ruler and a knife, lengthwise.

Then measure a width of 6cm, marking points on the dough as guides.

Cut a strip of dough 6cm wide.

Trim the ends for a neat finish. The strip should have a length of 25cm to match the size of the mold used in this recipe. Adjust the size of the biscuit to fit your mold if necessary.

This strip of almond rich shortcrust pastry will form the base of the yule log.

Place this strip on a bread baking mat, which is a perforated silicone mat.

Cover with a second baking mat so the dough is 'sandwiched' between the two mats for better baking results.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 170°C, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes (baking time may vary depending on your oven).

When baking is complete, remove from the oven and let it cool at room temperature.

Remove the top silicone mat once the shortcrust pastry has cooled (removing it while hot may damage the biscuit).

You can shave the edges of the biscuit if it has slightly warped during baking using a Microplane grater.

Take the hazelnut duja prepared earlier. If it has hardened, warm it slightly in the microwave to make it more workable. A few seconds is enough... Spread the duja on the cooled almond shortcrust pastry...

...with a small offset spatula to an even thickness.

You can use a scraper as a guide to prevent the mixture from spilling over the sides...

...and the edges, for a perfect finish. Store in the fridge.

Dulcey crémeux (continued): Pour the Dulcey crémeux into the mixer bowl and beat with the whisk attachment...

...to give a nice, smooth texture.

The texture becomes somewhat like buttercream.

Transfer the Dulcey crémeux into a piping bag. Using a nozzle is not necessary.

Place the Comet yule log silicone mold on your work surface.

Pipe a large layer of Dulcey crémeux at the bottom of the silicone mold.

Tap the mold on the work surface several times to ensure the crémeux fills all the cavity and to release any trapped air bubbles.

Spread the Dulcey crémeux up the sides of the mold with a small offset spatula, pressing the mixture to prevent air bubbles.

Then pipe a second line of crémeux in the centre of the mould.

Smooth the mixture again with the offset spatula to get rid of air bubbles.

Remove the insert mold from the freezer, take off the plastic wrap, and release the passion fruit crémeux insert onto a cutting board.

Trim one end of the insert...

...and cut the second end to obtain a length of 24cm (1cm shorter than the mold length).

Place the insert in the silicone mold, centered, and gently press it down with your fingers (rounded side down, flat side up).

Cover the passion fruit insert with the remaining Dulcey crémeux.

Smooth and fill any gaps with the small offset spatula.

Take the almond shortcrust base covered in hazelnut duja out of the fridge, trimming the edges if necessary with a knife.

Flip it base over the yule log mold...

...and place on top, with hazelnut duja side in direct contact with the Dulcey crémeux, plain biscuit side on top. Press lightly.

Wrap the whole mold tightly with cling film...

...and store in the freezer. This recipe can be made up to this step several days in advance.

Finish: On the day (or the day before at the latest), remove the mold from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap.

Gently peel away the silicone mold as shown in the photo. It may require some force to release the edges (this step should be done while the yule log is fully frozen, immediately after removing from the freezer).

Flip the yule log onto the work surface and release from the mould. The yule log should still be completely frozen for optimal results.

This is what the log should look like at this stage.

Place the yule log immediately on a baking sheet covered in plastic wrap. This baking sheet can be placed on a rotating tray to facilitate the coating operation with velvet spray.

We will use the caramel velvet effect spray. I recommend protecting the work surface with sheets of parchment paper or old newspapers.

Shake the spray well before use, until you hear the ball bearing inside the bottle (a sign that the cocoa butter and colouring are well mixed and ready for use). Then spray...

...onto the surface of the yule log from a distance of 30 to 40cm.

Rotate the tray to evenly coat all sides of the dessert...

...as shown in the photo. It's important that the coating layer is thin, as thick layers may crack during defrosting. However, avoid applying too thin a layer.

Lift the yule log using two small offset spatulas and place it on its serving platter.

Cut the hazelnuts in half.

Using a small piping cone, apply a few drops of neutral mirror glaze onto the surface of the yule log...

...and arrange the hazelnut halves on top.

Create a harmonious decoration by placing 5 to 6 hazelnut halves...

...along the entire length of the yule log.

Apply additional drops of neutral mirror glaze over the surface of the dessert...

... and cover with chopped caramilized hazelnuts, using a precision tweezers.

Repeat the operation with silver flakes, arranging them over the drops of neutral mirror glaze along the entire length of the dessert.

Here is our Blond chocolate, hazelnut & passion fruit Christmas yule log, fully decorated. Allow 4 to 5 hours to defrost in the fridge. Enjoy!