Lemon, Black sesame & Yuzu Christmas Yule Log

To make this Lemon, Black sesame and Yuzu Christmas Yule Log recipe, start by preparing the ingredients for the black sesame praline.

Black sesame praline: Spread the black sesame seeds evenly on a baking sheet...

...ensuring they cover the entire surface of the sheet.

Place the sheet in a fan-assisted oven, preheated to 160°C, and toast the seeds for 15 minutes.

When the black sesame seeds are nearly toasted, heat a saucepan on the stove and pour in a thin layer of caster sugar.

Cook the sugar, stirring with a spatula. The sugar will gradually melt and form a syrup.

Caramelization will begin. Keep the stove at a moderate temperature to prevent the caramel from colouring too quickly. At this point, add the remaining caster sugar in a fine drizzle, spreading it evenly in the bottom of the pan.

Continue cooking while stirring with the spatula. Gradually, the caramel will form. It's called a "dry caramel" because no water is added. Cook it at a gentle temperature to prevent it from darkening too quickly.

The caramel is ready. All the sugar lumps that formed during cooking have dissolved and are well incorporated.

Once the black sesame seeds are toasted, remove them from the oven and pour them onto a sheet of parchment paper.

Fold the parchment paper in half to easily pour the seeds directly into the boiling caramel.

Stir the mixture thoroughly with the spatula to coat all the black sesame seeds with caramel.

Once the seeds are well coated, transfer them onto a silicone baking mat...

...and spread them out as best as possible, as they tend to stick. Let them cool at room temperature.

Once the caramelized sesame has completely cooled, break it into pieces and place it in a food processor bowl...

...then blend it finely.

During blending, add the oil. I use grape seed oil, but you can use any neutral oil, like sunflower or peanut oil.

Blend the mixture again...

...until it becomes a smooth paste. Blending time may vary depending on the power of your food processor.

Transfer this mixture to a mixing bowl.

Now you have your black sesame praline. Set it aside.

Lime confit: Juice the limes using a citrus press.

Once the lime juice is extracted and weighed, prepare all the ingredients.

Pour the lime juice into a saucepan...

...and add half of the caster sugar. You can eyeball this - no need to weigh it!

Mix the remaining caster sugar with the pectin NH coating to prevent clumps from forming.

Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife.

Add the vanilla seeds and the split pod to the lime juice...

...and quickly stir with a whisk to dissolve the sugar.

When the mixture reaches 50 to 60°C, pour in the sugar/pectin mixture while whisking.

Bring the mixture to a boil and maintain the boil for 1 minute to activate the pectin.

You'll notice that the lime juice has thickened slightly.

Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet...

...and cover it with a sheet of cling film. Let it cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for complete gelling.

Almond streusel: Prepare all the ingredients.

Place the softened butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the almond powder...

...as well as the flour...

...and the fleur de sel.

Mix these ingredients using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer. Gradually, the dough will form a crumble, and the streusel dough will come together.

Stop the mixer...

...and transfer the dough onto a 40 x 30 cm sheet of parchment paper.

Cover it with a second sheet of parchment paper.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lengthwise, to shape it into a long strip for the base of your log.

Once you've achieved the desired length, stretch the corners slightly...

...using a template. I'm using a 35 x 11 cm stainless steel frame.

Once the dough is the right size...

...slide it onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up (or freeze for 15 minutes).

When the dough is well-chilled, remove the top parchment sheet...

...and place the stainless steel frame on top. Score the inner part of the frame with a knife. If the dough is too cold, at least mark it with the tip of the knife.

After removing the frame, cut the dough through its full thickness to get the rectangular base.

Remove the excess dough...

...and place the stainless steel frame back onto the dough.

Here's what it should look like.

Bake the dough in a fan-assisted oven, preheated to 170°C, for 12 to 15 minutes. Baking times may vary depending on the oven.

Once baked, remove the sheet from the oven and let the dough cool at room temperature.

Lime madeleine: Prepare all the ingredients.

Pour the caster sugar into a mixing bowl.

Add the flour...

...the fine salt...

...and the baking powder.

Whisk these dry ingredients together and add the beaten whole eggs.

Add the cold milk...

...as well as the lime juice and zest...

...and whisk vigorously until you have a smooth batter.

Finally, add the melted butter (make sure it has cooled down beforehand)...

...and mix until fully incorporated.

Transfer this lime madeleine batter into a piping bag. No nozzle is needed.

Tie off the piping bag with a knot.

Snip the tip of the bag with scissors to create a small opening about 0.5cm wide.

Pipe the madeleine batter directly into the stainless steel frame, on top of the streusel (either cooled or slightly warm if it hasn't fully cooled yet), in a zigzag pattern to ensure an even thickness...

...like this.

Bake in a fan-assisted oven, preheated to 170°C, for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven.

Once the madeleine biscuit is baked (it should be lightly golden), remove it from the oven...

...and let it cool at room temperature.

Lemon crémeux: Prepare all the ingredients. Mix the powdered gelatin with water (tap or mineral) and let it hydrate for 15 minutes.

Pour the lemon juice and caster sugar into a saucepan.

Heat and stir well with a whisk to dissolve the sugar.

Add the whole eggs...

...and cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly...

...until it thickens, being careful not to scramble the eggs. To prevent this, cook slowly and evenly over moderate heat.

Once the cream has thickened, remove the saucepan from the stove and add the hydrated gelatin. If small clumps of coagulated egg have formed, it's not a big deal as the mixture will be blended in step 85.

Stir vigorously to fully dissolve the gelatin into the hot mixture.

Finally, add the butter cut into chunks and whisk the mixture.

Mix with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous.

Pour this lemon crémeux into the mini log insert mould. Here, I placed a spatula in the second cavity to prevent the insert from tipping over while pouring the mixture into the first cavity.

Once the cavity is filled to the top...

...smooth the surface with a small cranked spatula.

Cover with cling film directly touching the surface...

...and place this lemon crémeux insert in the freezer. Store the remaining crémeux in a container and freeze.

Yuzu whipped ganache (to be started the day before): Prepare the ingredients. Mix the gelatin powder with the hydration water and let it hydrate for at least 15 minutes.

Place the white chocolate in a bowl.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in intervals of 20 to 30 seconds, stirring between each melting step to prevent burning.

Heat the whipping cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.

When boiling, stop the heat and add the hydrated gelatin. Then whisk vigorously to dissolve it.

Pour the boiling cream over the melted white chocolate while mixing with a spatula.

Finally, add the yuzu juice. Be aware that the mixture may "brush," meaning it could become slightly grainy, which is normal since we've added acidity with the yuzu juice into the cream.

Blend the mixture with a hand blender until smooth.

Cover the yuzu ganache with a sheet of cling film and refrigerate. This preparation should be made the day before.

Crunchy sesame: Prepare the ingredients.

Melt the Mycryo cocoa butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. You can use cocoa butter in discs.

Pour the crispy feuilletine over the black sesame praliné.

Carefully mix everything with a spatula.

Add the melted Mycryo cocoa butter...

...and mix again to combine all these ingredients. Set aside.

Take the frame containing the streusel and madeleine biscuits, and remove the sides by sliding a knife between the stainless steel rectangle and the biscuits.

Carefully remove the stainless steel frame.

Using a ruler, trim the edge of the biscuit for a neat finish.

Measure 7.5 cm in width and mark it with the tip of a knife.

Do the same at the other end of the biscuit and cut a strip of biscuit with a serrated knife.

Trim the ends...

...and with the leftover biscuit scraps, add more to reach a length of 34 cm (total length of the log).

Place the crunchy sesame over the strip of biscuit, directly in contact with the soft madeleine biscuit. The crispy streusel is underneath. We will need about 110 grams of crunchy sesame.

Spread the crisp over the biscuit with a mini cranked spatula. You can use a bench scraper to create a border to prevent the mixture from spilling over the sides.

We achieve this result.

Take the lemon confit out of the fridge, remove the cling film...

...and transfer it to a bowl.

Remove the vanilla pod and vigorously whisk the confit to smooth it out.

Transfer the lemon confit into a piping bag (without a nozzle).

Cut the tip of the bag to create a small opening, and pipe the confit onto the crunchy sesame in long parallel lines.

Then smooth the confit with the mini angled spatula, being careful not to crush it. Place everything in the freezer.

Lay an acetate sheet on the work surface, and cut it to 34.5 cm in length...

...and 15cm in width. These dimensions correspond to the yule log mould used in this recipe.

Check that the acetate sheet is the correct size and fits perfectly inside the yule log mold.

Yuzu whipped ganache (continued): Take the yuzu ganache out of the fridge, remove the cling film, and place it in the mixing bowl. Whip this preparation with the whisk attachment until it becomes smooth and slightly thick, like whipping cream. Be careful not to over-whip it.

The yuzu whipped ganache has slightly lightened, and the marks left by the whisk remain well defined on the surface.

Transfer this preparation into a piping bag (without a nozzle)...

...and pipe the yuzu whipped ganache into the bottom of the yule log mould, directly onto the acetate sheet, filling it 3/4 full.

Use the mini cranked spatula to push the ganache up the sides to eliminate any trapped air bubbles.

Take the lemon creamy insert out of the freezer and remove the plastic wrap.

Then, gently peel the edges of the mold...

...and unmold the lemon creamy insert onto the work surface. It should be frozen through for optimal release results.

Take the insert and place it inside the mould, pressing it into the yuzu whipped ganache, with the rounded side down and the flat side up.

Gently press down on the insert with both thumbs. We can see the ganache rise on the edges.

Fold the excess ganache over the lemon creamy insert with the mini cranked spatula, leaving about a 0.5cm gap between the top of the ganache and the edge of the mould.

Take the biscuit rectangle covered with crunchy sesame and lime confit out of the freezer. It's normal for the confit to whiten a bit when frozen.

Place the biscuit in the mould, with the lime confit directly in contact with the yuzu whipped ganache, and press down gently without breaking the biscuit to let the excess ganache rise on the sides.

Smooth the edges using the mini cranked spatula.

Clean the edges of the mould with a paper towel and cover everything with cling film. Place the log mould in the freezer. This recipe can be made up to this step several days in advance.

Small white trees: Prepare all the ingredients. Here we will proceed with the seeding method for tempering chocolate.